Divestiture of the humanities, or: Science fiction, Humboldt and reform management

Can the Humboldtian view of universities - i.e. a community of researchers and students involved in a creative, often solitary but nonetheless comprehensive discursive process - serve as a guideline for the highly topical discussion about reform processes of the university system? The answer to this key question is divided into three parts. In a first step, it is answered by a critical yet humorous spotlight on arguments often provided by key decision-makers and university managers. Globalisation and the quest for efficient research efforts that render immediate results, the profit-oriented distribution of resources as well as the necessity of assets made available by third parties are presented as clumsy guidelines which fail to take into account the fundamental long-term benefits of research and higher education. The humanities in particular very often face sharp criticism in this regard. In a second step, a deconstruction of the economic-oriented line of thought is attempted. Finally, a vision of a Humboldtian University and an answer to the initial question is provided in the form of a short - and paradisiacal - sketch.