The Cornel West Reader
Union Theological Seminary professor Dr. Cornel West on ones pursuit of an intellectual vocation:
“Although I was trained as a professional philosopher, I have never held a position in a philosophy department. I have turned down a number of offers from philosophy departments, because I cherish my intellectual freedom to teach and write about a vast array of subjects. I have never aspired to be a professional academic or scholar. Instead, I have tried to be a man of letters in love with ideas in order to be a wiser and more loving person, hoping to leave the world just a little better than I found it. I take great delight in the free play of the mind, and I believe intellectual work is indispensable for social change. Yet, in the end, I place compassion far above smartness and wisdom light-years ahead of cleverness. The quest for wisdom is rooted in an erotic relation to the to world—a deep desire to love and passion to know before one dies. So I speak of my intellectual work and life as a calling, not a career; a vocation, not a profession.” — The Cornel West Reader