Humanism and Higher Education

Abstract

The chapter begins with a brief history of higher education, primarily in Europe and the United States. Such a history is traditionally traced back to ancient Greece, moves through medieval Europe and the Middle East, and eventually focuses on how religious forms of proto-humanist thought and early science split off from one another in the early modern period, post-1600. A summary follows of some of the debates, particularly around the nature and scope of “the human,” that are presently of deep interest in the humanities. The chapter concludes with some critical reflections on where humanist intellectuals might want to go from here and calls for new and more inclusive forms of the humanist imagination.