University as a place of wisdom Interiority, technique, and general education in balance

Abstract

The contemporary university is marked by a structural tension between technical-professional specialization and its humanistic and critical mission. This article proposes a reconstruction of the university’s formative horizon from a sapiential perspective, structured around three core dimensions: interiority, technique, and wisdom. It is argued that interiority—conceived as the subject’s reflective dialogue with oneself and with the intellectual community—constitutes the foundation of a genuine academic experience; that technique, while essential for professional training, must be guided by prudence to prevent the instrumentalization of knowledge; and that wisdom, understood as an integrative form of knowledge oriented toward the common good, serves as the guiding principle of all educational processes. From this triad, the paper underscores the importance of general education as a space for epistemological and ethical synthesis, enabling specialized knowledge to be situated within a broader, holistic worldview. It concludes that only a university fostering critical interiority, technical excellence, and a sapiential orientation can resist productivist logics and fulfill its vocation of forming free, responsible subjects committed to social transformation.