Assist. Prof. Matthew Delhey

Research Project

The Idea of the University in German Idealism

My project reexamines the philosophical debates surrounding the founding of the University of Berlin in 1810, from which emerged the “Humboldtian model of higher education” or simply the modern research university. Connecting the occasional university writings of Kant, Schelling, Fichte, Schleiermacher, Hegel, and Humboldt to their systematic commitments, I argue that they articulate a fundamentally social vision of science and education, including a distinctive concern for the university’s effects on political life. This socialized research university helps mitigate the common criticisms that it is disengaged, foundationalist, and overly specialized, deserving our attention as we reimagine the institution today.