Few concepts in the German tradition of human studies--the so-called "Geisteswissenschaften"--have had the capacity to birth such intense expectations and hopes as the concept of "Bildung". There is general agreement that the concept of "Bildung" includes both an objective and a subjective component. The first refers to "culture" in its broadest sense (philosophical, scientific, esthetic, moral etc.; in short, rational interpretations of the world), whereas the latter refers to the specific and individual appropriation of the objective substance of culture. Despite its complexity, ambiguity and vulnerability, the classic concept of "Bildung" was never totally abandoned in educational and philosophical discourse, nor was its transformation into different constructs and surrogates successful. The multifaceted use of the term, only illustrates its crucial place in social discourses. The author contends that people have to acknowledge with Posner that "Bildung", while it is a central concept for many philosophical, anthropological and pedagogical thinkers, is, at the same time, one of the most "vague" concepts. In this article, the author discusses the twofold subversion of "Bildung". (Contains 4 notes.)