"In an era in which machines become better at being machines, the essential task of education is to help humans become better at being human."
In an opinion article that appeared in Trouw on 19 February 2026, professor Govert Buijs - department of social sciences, assistant professor Frederique Demeijer - Athena Institute, professor Marjolein Zweekhorst - Athena Institute and Janneke Waelen - Centre for Teaching & Learning, argue that in an era in which machines become better at being machines, the essential task of education is to help humans become better at being human. They do so in response to earlier opinion pieces in Trouw from Gert Biesta and Joep Dohmen, stating that although debates over terms like “Bildung” or “moral formation” may be interesting, they risk distracting from what truly matters: the formative role of higher education in a polarized and complex world.
In an age shaped by rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence, universities face a renewed and urgent question: not only what students should become, but who they are becoming. Universities have a unique responsibility to guide students through a critical phase of personal and intellectual development over several formative years. This calls for more than disciplinary knowledge and research skills. It also requires cultivating critical reflection: an awareness of the assumptions, limits, and ethical implications of one’s field, as well as understanding of and respect for other forms of knowledge.
History shows what can happen when this broader task is neglected. When education focuses narrowly on individual success or self-interest, graduates may carry these assumptions into society, with far-reaching consequences. As Max Weber warned, we risk producing “specialists without spirit” or “consumers without heart.” Today’s graduates enter a world marked by social, ecological, and technological challenges. Many will take on leadership roles, where character matters as much as competence. Preparing students, therefore, means engaging them with real-world problems, encouraging dialogue across differences, and helping them step beyond their own perspectives.
Read the TROUW opinion piece [in Dutch] and find out more about our educational offerings at Athena Institute at VU Amsterdam.