Quo Vadis? Where are the University and Science Going?

The 1970s mark a historical point of the rise of neo-liberalism and of the gradual crumbling of socialism as a force to oppose it. Since then, neo-liberalism has become the mainstream creed that permeates every institution in our global world in addition to, and of especial interest to us, the university and the formation of its students. Given its social and cultural impact in northern Europe following the Renaissance, we explore Erasmus' philosophy of Christ and its foundation on historical rather than on physical reason as a counterforce to reverse the ravages of neo-liberalism. This philosophy does not rely on policy or power, or on religion or theology, to reform society, but on a humanist-oriented science and the education of citizens. When implemented in the past, its benefits were not limited to northern Europe but were also evinced in the 17th century colony of Recife in Brazil. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.