Abstract

This essay suggests ways to overcome what I take to be a widespread problem of a dichotomy between the knowledge of being and the practice of becoming and an emphasis on the former at the expense of the latter within contemporary Humanities at the university. First, I trace the genealogy of this dichotomy and its effects on contemporary Humanities' higher education, especially in the guise it takes as a dichotomy between contemplation and action – thinking and acting. Secondly, I elaborate an account of self-directed development as a process of bridging the gap between being and becoming. Thirdly, I point towards often undervalued and even neglected philosophical traditions that provide us with alternative resources to engage in effective processes of self-directed development, enabling us to develop our human potentiality