The main purpose for the translation of the present paper is not to give a comprehensive explanation of the impact of neoliberal ideas and politics on authority (in all of its forms) of universities and their professors. It is much more modest: to sketch a theoretical framework for a better understanding of what the essence of authority is; to show that the relation between authority and trust is the key to the explanation of the impact of neoliberal politics on the authority of the university and university professors; to discuss professors’ autonomy predominantly as epistemic authority, and to point out that what makes them an epistemic authority is not the truth of what they say, but rather the students’ belief that it is true; and to disclose some problems related to authority, university autonomy, and neoliberal politics.
