Universities’ Current Issues from the Perspective of the History of Ideas

Abstract

The history of universities, which has seen transformations throughout the world both in the organization of didactical activities and in the very identity of these institutions, is today also included in the scope of investigation of the history of ideas. This article proposes an analysis from a historiographical perspective, in a time in which many current transformations come from a long tradition which relies not only on laws and regulations, but also on visions and theories of the university such as those of John H. Newman and Sergej Hessen, as well as on the intuitions of those who, like Nietzsche or Don Milani, dedicated a brief and critical glance to the uni-versity. The discussion that followed is taken into consideration along with studies which allow us to see in these theories both an anticipation of some directions undertaken by universities in their recent history and insightful critical observations.