Our University-Culture: Chapter 1 (Part 1)

EARLIER: Introduction

How We Got Here

I. Idealism and the German University

While it was in Germany that the great challenge to Medieval Christian culture finally succeeded, it was also in Germany where the seeds of our current university-created postmodern culture began. Indeed, I could just as easily titled this chapter with the one Randall Collins gave Chapter 12 of The Sociology of Philosophies: “Intellectuals Take Control of Their Bases: The German University Revolution.” Collins’ chapter 12 is a veritable case study in the degree to which institutions matter. It covers what happened to philosophy not only in Germany after their university reforms in the late 1700s, but also the practically identical patterns that emerged in every country that in turn adopted the German university system based on those reforms.

Almost immediately after the university reforms, German philosophy made a turn toward Idealism. Collins argues that Idealism is a halfway house from religious dominance to complete secularization within the university philosophical faculty. However, as we will see, Idealism may in fact be a consequence of the German university system itself.

If we take a look at the history of adoption of the German system, we see a recurrent pattern. Scandinavia adopted the…