Abstract
The university is the third organization from the social sphere analysed from the triadic viewpoint. The university's contribution to the overall “good” of society is analysed in terms of its commitment to skills formation, knowledge formation and the individual's commitment formation. The individual's personal knowledge is discussed in terms of explicit knowledge, implicit knowledge and personal judgment. There follows an analysis of the challenges facing universities in a society that has moved from a managerialist mindset, which is a very supportive orientation, to a politicist mindset which can be threatening to the core values of the university.