Danish universities are facing a crisis due to the disappearance of general education subjects like filosofikum, which once challenged students with fundamental questions about truth, knowledge, and responsibility. This decline has led to a focus on producing functional specialists rather than critically thinking citizens, according to the author. The absence of philosophical reflection leaves graduates ill-equipped to address complex ethical and societal issues, highlighting a need to reintroduce philosophical education to cultivate conscious and responsible citizens.

A previous attempt to revive filosofikum in 2017 by the then-Minister of Higher Education failed due to resistance from university leaders and politicians who prioritized specialized training over broader intellectual development. This resistance underscores a spiritual crisis within universities, characterized by activist research, relativization of truth, and stifling of student democracy. The author argues that universities are failing to educate individuals who can think for themselves and contribute meaningfully to society.

Drawing on the wisdom of thinkers like Wilhelm von Humboldt, Immanuel Kant, Søren Kierkegaard and Hannah Arendt, the author emphasizes the importance of reflection, moral judgment, and individual responsibility in a healthy society. The author advocates for a university education that focuses on personal growth, understanding one’s place in the world, and fulfilling one’s obligations to society, rather than solely focusing on professional skills. The reintroduction of filosofikum would aim to cultivate independent and thinking citizens, fostering a true sense of community spirit based on conscious awareness and responsibility. The author, Simon Andersen, is BSc.oecon and a member of the executive committee of the Conservative Students’ National Organization in Copenhagen. Norway still teaches Examen Philosophicum.