Science as a Vocation in an Era of Precarity

• In Event: 20420 - Section on Sociology of Culture Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 7: Culture, Labor, and Meaning Making at Work

Abstract

In “Science as a Vocation,” Weber argued that science in a disenchanted world demands ascetic dedication without offering ultimate meaning. More than a century later, as scientific careers become increasingly precarious and bureaucratically constrained, how do scientists sustain meaning in their work? This study examines how contemporary scientists navigate their professional identities through the lens of vocation, a longstanding ideal that frames scientific labor as a calling rather than just a job. Drawing on 215 in-depth interviews with physicists and biologists across four countries, I identify three cultural repertoires of vocation: expressive, civic, and transcendent callings. Expressive callings, rooted in personal passion, provide intrinsic motivation but can lead to burnout and exploitation. Civic callings, framed as public service, offer external validation but face bureaucratic constraints. Transcendent callings, tied to moral or existential commitments, sustain deep purpose but can justify overwork. These vocation narratives persist even as scientific careers become increasingly precarious. By reframing vocation as a cultural and institutional phenomenon, this study highlights the uneven distribution of risk and reward in scientific labor. The study also builds on critiques of the “passion principle” to explain why science as a vocation remains compelling despite its costs. More broadly, this research speaks to the sacralization of work in a secular age and its implications for the future of knowledge-intensive careers.

Author

• Brandon Vaidyanathan, Catholic University of America