The Ideal of Humanization and the Role of Universities Páll Skúlason March 3, Edinburgh

Overview I.An Ethical Approach II. The European University III. Why and How We have Failed IV. The Task Ahead

An Ethical Approach

Perspectives on the University Community –academic and human values Institution –dedicated to the advancement of public good Organisation –to be managed and operated in an effective and efficient manner

An Ethical Approach Ethical Domain:  Moral rules and principles  Virtues and vices  Values like solidarity, friendship, freedom The Ethical Endeavor:  To discover and to do what is just, right and good  Thoughtlessness: a most serious vice

An Ethical View of the University The university is a community of teachers and students whose steady purpose is the acquisition, preservation and transmission of knowledge in the service of humanity/mankind.  Moral rules and principles  Virtues and vices  Values

Two Questions for reflection What kind of world – ver-öld – is in the making? The present Crisis: Does our society have the inherent possibilities to become a good place for our grand- children and future generations?

Who are we, human beings?  We are thinking, self-conscious individuals  We are Scots, Icelanders...  We are members of the human species (globalisation) 8

Why Universities have survived We are self-conscious, thinking beings: Ideas, beliefs, reasons and views are the raw materials out of which our existence as thinking beings is made. The university is the only institution that, through the centuries, has focused upon this basic fact of human existence

The Main Question for us, the Educators  Are we preparing our students to deal properly, as reflective and thinking beings, with their life- problems?  Have we made adequate effort to answer this question?  Why did our graduates fail in leading the companies and institutions they were trusted with?

Problems-of life – different values  To live with oneself: What is true and right, good and beautiful?  Organize our life in common: What should be forbidden?  Economic tasks: What is possible? 11

The European university

The European University Three different academic traditions:  The German tradition (Humboldt) - science  The French tradition (Napoleon) - nation  The British tradition (Newman) - individual student

New problems The institutions have been asked to provide more services to the society without getting more financial support They also have to earn their keep by fulfilling specific easily identifiable demands made by the academic and educational market

Economic globalisation and academic globalisation  Globalisation of things and phenomena which can be bought with money  Globalisation of knowledge (ideas, thoughts and theories, and perhaps visions)

Why and how we have failed

The three missions of serving The Sciences The Nation The Individual student put aside in favour of Economic interests – financial globalisation

European universities  have succumbed to the “technological temptation” (successes of scientific specialization and technological innovation)  must endeavour to recover the ideal of humanization

Internal goals of education  Ethical development (behaviour, action, decision...)  Training (read, write, calculate...)  Dissemination of information and understanding

Weaknesses of recent Academic Education  Overemphasis on technical skills and training  Instruction rather than human development  Lack of reflection and of critical discussion  Too much negative competition

Three Areas of Life-Problems  Internal life: self-knowledge and self- acceptance: Humanities, art, and literature  Social life: attitude to family, strangers, friends, sex, authority, violence: Politics, Morality and Law  Physical life: satisfaction of various physiological needs, health, shelter, and protection: Science and Technology

Business Ideology  most human relations are, at bottom, business relations  earning money is the most important thing in life  private enterprise is always more efficient than public institutions  competition is always good.

Humanization of the world  cultivate human relationships  concentrate on spiritual and ethical values  learn to share things  learn to work together

The Task ahead

Prioreties  Introduce reflective and critical practices within each and every field of study  Secure proper teaching on ethical and humanistic subjects

Reflective and Critical Thinking  On problems and issues within each field of study – technical training  On global problems and issues inherent in our human condition  On our conceptual frameworks for understanding the world and ourselves

Knowledge requires a constant investigation into the pursuit of knowledge itself reflexivity which makes inquiry an open-ended enterprise and a self-correcting process leading in unexpected directions on-going discussions on criteria and standards in the activity of learning

Three types of knowledge Theoretical: truth, coherence, understanding Technical: Efficiency, reliability, effectiveness Ethical solidarity, friendship, freedom Must be understood separately but be integrated in reality

Three misunderstandings –Ethical Knowledge is subjective (relative to my personal feelings and my social situation) –Theoretical Knowledge makes us more capable of understanding moral issues –Technological Knowledge makes us more capable of overcoming morally unacceptable situations

The commitment to Truth is ethical and theoretical at the same time, and this applies within every discipline

The Ideal of Humanization refers to the mission of serving not only science, nation and the individual student, but humanity itself by revealing the truth about the world and ourselves.

Thank you for your attention!