Desperate times call for responsible measures : Understanding responsibility through the stories of academic activists

Abstract: In recent years, activism movements have shaken public consciousness, waking us up to the fact that there is no time to waste in light of the Social and Environmental Crises humanity is facing. Since the pivotal role of science and technology has in both creating and trying to solve those Crises, scientists’ political engagement has been the topic of an increasing number of publications. A number of authors call for academics to engage in activism, reasoning it with the responsibility academics have towards society as professionals and human beings. However, what this responsibility itself means in the context of academic activism has been largely overlooked. We identified Hans Jonas’ ethics of responsibility as the most apt theory to analyze the phenomenon. In fact, according to Jonas, science has unleashed the uncontrolled power of technology by only seeing the benefits of technological innovations, while forgetting to consider its costs. Therefore, ethical reflections should be brought back into science to move from a retroactive towards a future- oriented responsibility that focus of preserving the existence of future generations on Earth. Through semi-structured interviews with academics who are engaged in academic activism, we investigate the concept of responsibility in relation to their engagement. Our findings indicate that academic activism is a manifestation of individual future-oriented responsibility, sparked by the fear for a doomed future. Unfortunately, the attempt by academic activists to bring ethical reflections into the wider institutional context is faced with resistance by the prevailing neoliberal system, which prevents academia from taking collective responsibility and re-establishing its social mandate.