Knowledge, meaning and work: threats to academic freedom in the world of research

Abstract

Aladro Vico discusses the nature and conditions of cognitive work, defined as the kind of work that enhances human knowledge. This work is specially linked to human freedom because it occurs it in any activity carried by an individual. One of the most important sources of cognitive work is education and research institutions. Today's research and academic working conditions endanger and shorten the natural freedom that characterises and surrounds cognitive work. This means that development of this activity is very deeply affected. Consequently, knowledge extension, innovation and productive research are also curtailed. To prevent losing the richness of cognitive work, it is necessary to ensure its main conditions of development, linked to some academic working requirements, such as the opening of free thresholds of time and space extension, and relaxed conditions for reflection and perception, which are being threatened by the current globalized and productivistic system at Academia.