The 300th anniversary of Immanuel Kant’s birth, celebrated last month, provides us with an occasion to consider the enduring relevance of the philosopher’s ideas for higher education. Specifically, should universities simply equip students with job-ready skills, or is there a more profound purpose?

Kant sheds light on this central question. He believed humans possess an inherent capacity for reason, a quality he termed “autonomy.” This autonomy sets us apart from other creatures, allowing us to make informed decisions based on reason and independent thought, rather than yielding to blind impulses or external pressures.

Higher education, then, becomes the crucial institutional context for igniting and nurturing autonomy — for fostering independent, mature individuals equipped to navigate an increasingly complex world. Viewed from this perspective, colleges and universities should not simply focus on transmitting prepackaged knowledge or cultivating job-specific skills. Instead, they should create an environment that empowers students to develop their critical thinking muscles, grapple with complex ideas and arrive at their own well-reasoned conclusions.

Such a Kantian approach thus aims to foster the intellectual independence necessary for students to navigate the complexities of the 21st century, contribute meaningfully to society and, ultimately, flourish as human beings.

Some contemporary trends, however, seem at odds with Kant’s emphasis on fostering independence. It’s worth exploring Kant’s potential reaction to a specific trend within some segments of higher education: the rise........

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