The Promise of the University: Reclaiming Humanity, Humility, and Hope

The book explores the philosophical dimensions of the contemporary university, addressing challenges such as community, refuge, enlightenment, ambition, intellectual cowardice, individualism, and professional competitiveness. It emphasizes the need for a careful balancing act between romantic ideals and pressing challenges, appealing to philosophers of education in Ireland, Europe, and beyond.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 213 pages
Publication date: 11 January 2023
Publisher: Springer Verlag, Singapore

The university is a complex and multifaceted institution that serves a multitude of purposes, ranging from providing a platform for intellectual inquiry and community engagement to serving as a refuge for those seeking enlightenment and knowledge. However, it is also a place where visceral ambition and intellectual cowardice coexist, where blinkered individualism and professional competitiveness thrive. In the current global context of higher education, students are faced with unprecedented pressure to distinguish themselves from their peers through a combination of academic excellence and extracurricular achievements. Many are forced to undertake part-time or full-time employment to cover registration fees and the basic costs of living, leaving them with little time or energy to focus on their studies.

University staff, too, are under immense pressure, facing a range of challenges that span their entire academic career. From early-career anxieties to concerns about job security and the ever-changing structures, assumptions, and demands of the university itself, they are constantly navigating a complex and ever-evolving landscape. These interlinked agendas demand the attention of philosophers of education across Ireland, Europe, and beyond.

In response to these challenges, this book proposes a careful balancing act. It encourages us to remember the romantic ideals and promises of the university while also acknowledging the very real and pressing challenges faced by our staff and students. The book will be of interest to academics, graduate students, and advanced-level undergraduates in Philosophy, Education, Mental Health, and Organizational Psychology in both North America and Europe.

The university is a place of immense potential and possibility, but it is also a place where we must confront the darker aspects of our human nature. It is a place where we can strive for enlightenment and knowledge, but also where we can succumb to the forces of ambition and fear. It is a place where we can come together as a community, but also where we can be divided by our differences.

In conclusion, this book offers a philosophical reading of the contemporary university and is motivated by a series of pressing challenges in the global context of higher education. It argues that the university is a place for community, refuge, enlightenment, and the careful questioning of knowledge, but it is also a place for visceral ambition and intellectual cowardice, for blinkered individualism and professional competitiveness. By recognizing these challenges and embracing a careful balancing act, we can strive to create a university that is both relevant and sustainable in the 21st century.

Weight: 349g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789811652790
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021