The Classical German Idea of the University Revisited, or on the Nationalization of the Modern Institution
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2006
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Abstract
The aim of the paper is to provide a philosophical and historical background to
current discussions about the changing relationships between the university and
the state (and the university and society) through revisiting the classical
“Humboldtian” model of the university. This historical detour is intended to show
the cultural rootedness of the modern “idea of the university”, and its close links
to the idea of the modern national state. The background is provided by the
discussion of such German philosophers and scholars as Wilhelm von Humboldt,
Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Friedrich W.J. Schelling (the
founding fathers of the University of Berlin) in the 19th century, as well as the
controversy between Karl Jaspers and Jürgen Habermas in the 20th century. The
paper consists of the following sections: the university and society: basic
questions; the modern university, the nation-state, and “retrospective constructions; the three main principles of the Humboldtian university; the nationalization of European universities: serving the nation; the national aspect of the German Bildung; the pursuit of truth vs. public responsibilities of the modern university; the (foundational) idea of the university vs. its embodiments (the exposition of the Jaspers/Habermas controversy); the university and the state: a
modern pact; the renewal of the university vs. the regeneration of the nation;
knowledge for its own sake and Wilhelm von Humboldt; Humboldt‟s university vs. the “Humboldtian” university; the University of Berlin: new weapons to continue the struggle lost in the battleground; Humboldt and the role of Bildung; the rebirth of the German nation through education (Johann Gottlieb Fichte)?; giving birth to a new world and the Heideggerian overtones; the state, the
university, and academic freedom (Friedrich Schleiermacher); philosophy and education (Friedrich W.J. Schelling); and conclusions.
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Keywords
modern university, Wilhelm von Humboldt, modern institution, German idea of the university, Humboldtian university, classical idea of the university, German university model, Lehrfreiheit, Lernfreiheit, Gottlieb Fichte, German Idealists, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Karl Jaspers, Jurgen Habermas, the nation-state, national state, social pact, European universities, history of European universities, German philosophy, German universities, idea of the university, classical German university, classical university model, nationalization, the university and the state, Bildung, the nation, academic freedom, knowledge for its own sake, pure knowledge, Idealism
Citation
CPP Research Papers Series, Volume 1 (2006). Poznan: CPPS, pp. 1-62.