For hundreds of years, knowledge has been central in understanding the university. Over recent decades, however, it is the economic value of knowledge that has come to the fore. Now, in a post-truth world, knowledge is also treated with suspicion and has become a vehicle for ideologies. Knowledge and the University combats all these ways of thinking. Its central claim is that knowledge is of value because of its connection with life. Knowledge is of life, from life, in life and for life. With an engaging philosophical discussion, and with a consideration of the evolution of higher education institutions, this book:Examines ways in which research, teaching and learning are bound up with life;Looks to breathe new life into the university itself;Widens the idea of the knowledge ecology to embrace the whole world;Suggests new roles for the university towards culture and the public sphere.Knowledge and the University is a radical text that looks to engender nothing less than a new spirit of the university. It offers a fascinating read for policy makers, institutional leaders, academics and all interested in the future of universities. Review "Finally a book that gives life back the university. It takes courage to reclaim knowledge as the vital energy of university life. Especially today. By introducing the vocabulary of truthfulness, edification, engagement and imagination, the authors give the university the real and realistic spirit that it needs. This book is of vital importance for everyone who cares for the university, and for the university caring for the world." Maarten Simons, Professor of Educational Policy and Theory, KU Leuven, Belgium "This is a thoughtful and provocative intervention that seeks to renew our understanding of the place and space of knowledge in the university. Often considered in economic terms, Bengtsen and Barnett contend that universities and the knowledge they produce have a broader value which needs to be considered and re-claimed. Through presenting a novel conceptual model and connecting universities to a philosophy of life, this book promises to stimulate, inspire and foster much debate. I highly recommend this volume." David Hornsby, Professor and Associate Vice President (Teaching and Learning), Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada"This bold and imaginative book takes the philosophy of higher education, indeed the study of higher education broadly, in a much needed turn – a turn toward life. In their innovative analysis of the contemporary university, Barnett and Bengtsen offer us a new vision for the work and the purpose of academe. Drawing across philosophical traditions that are too rarely connected to higher education, this volume carefully learns from the past while remaining situated clearly in the present-future for imagining a university worthy of further exploit and commitment."Ryan Gildersleeve, Professor of Higher Education, University of Denver, USA "Universities have long been encouraged to be key players in the "knowledge economy" and to focus on the monetisation of their educational and research activities. Their value has been calibrated often in purely instrumental terms. Knowledge and the University: Re-claiming Life is a profound and original examination of what knowledge means in a supposedly post-truth age for institutions whose very existence is predicated on its possibility. This thought-provoking study encourages us to think about how the university can become a "space of truthfulness" which actively seeks to enhance the lives of all those touched by its action. It is a moving call to understand knowledge's intrinsic value and the university's essential role as its generator, custodian and propagator. Anyone who cares about universities and their future will want to read this book."Karen Sanders, Professor of Communication and Politics, Dean of Research of St. Mary’s University, UK"In the venerable tradition of Humboldt, Newman, Ortega
