In this episode we welcome Finn Thorbjørn Hansen, professor in applied philosophy at Aalborg University. Finn published extensively on the phenomenology of wonder and assumes it a key-dimension in higher education, professional studies and existential pedagogy in general. By means of the question “What would happen if we in the curriculum of higher education took seriously that we should learn our students ‘to stand in the open’, that is, really acknowledge that the future is unknown?” he delves into the concept of philosophical literacy and presents a wonder-based research approach that is strongly in line with the phenomenological-hermeneutical tradition as well as current eco-phenomenological thinking. Finally, he outlines how he conducts such wonder-based research in the form of his Wonder-Labs. 

00:00:48 – What is applied philosophy? 

00:02:08 – What is existential pedagogy? 

00:09:18 – The philosophical life as an ideal of Bildung and learning to stand in the open 

00:12:33 – Wonder in higher education and learning to deal with the unknown  

00:17:10 – What is wonder-based research? 

00:26:44 – What is philosophical literacy? 

00:29:36 – The existential, the spiritual and the apophatic  

00:32:43 – What is a Wonder-Lab? 

00:37:38 – A summarizing view of Finn’s academic work and research 

Further literature: 

• Hansen, F. T. (2024): The sense of wonder as a necessary “Philosophical Literacy” in healthcare. In: Ensted, D. & Dellenborg, L. (eds.): Culture, Spirituality and Religious Literacy in Healthcare, p. 217-231. Nordic Perspectives. London & New York, NY: Routledge.  
• Hansen, F.T. (2024). Wonder and Philosophy as Grounding Sources in Health Humanities. In: Crawford, P., Kadetz, P. (eds) Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Health Humanities, p. 1-15. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26825-1_221-2   
• Hansen, F. T.; Botnen Eide, S. & Leget C. (eds.) (2023): Wonder, Silence, and Human Flourishing. Towards a Rehumanization of Health, Education and Welfare. London: Lexington.  
• Hansen, F.T. (2022). What would an Apophatic Action Research look like? International Journal of Action Research, Eikeland (ed.), special issue on «Conceptualizing AR». Vol. 18, Issue 2/2022, pp: 100–115. 
• Thorsted, A.C. & Hansen, F.T. & (2022). At tænke med hjertet: En grundbog i eksistentiel praksisfænomenologi. [To Think With the Heart: Basic Reflections on Existential Praxis Phenomenology]. Aarhus: Klim. 
• Hansen, F.T. (2022). At skrive sig ud mod det gådefulde via undringens fire verdenshjørner. In: Herholdt-Lomholdt, S. (red.), Fenomenologi. å leve,samtale og skrive ut mot det gåtefulle i tilværelsen, s. 47-87Bergen: Fagbokforlaget. 
• Hansen, F.T. & Jørgensen, L.B. (2021). Wonder-inspired Leadership: Or how to cultivate ethical and phenomenon-led health care. Nursing Ethics: Vol. 28, No. 6 (September): 951-966.https://doi-org.zorac.aub.aau.dk/10.1177/0969733021990791  
• Hansen, F. T. (2019): Learning to Innovate in Higher Education Through Deep Wonder. In: Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education. Vol. 1, 3. pp. 51 - 74 
• Hansen, F. T. (2017): Sokratisk og fenomenologisk orientert aktionsforskning. In: Allrø, H. & Hansen, F. T. (eds.): Dialogisk aktionsforskning i et praksisnært perspektiv. Aalborg: Aalborg Universitetsforlag.  
• Hansen, F.T. (2016). At undre sig ved livets afslutning: Om brug af filosofiske samtaler i palliativt arbejde [To Wonder at the End of Life: On the use of philosophical conversations in palliative care]. Copenhagen.: Akademisk forlag. Scientific monography. 
• Hansen, F.T. & Dinkins, C. S. (2016). Socratic Wonder as a Way to Aletheia in Qualitative Research and Action Research. In: HASER. Revista Internacional de Filosofía Aplicada, Nr. 7: 51-88. 
• Hansen, F.T. (2015). The Call and Practice of Wonder: How to Evoke a Socratic Community of Wonder in Professional Settings, s. 217-244. In: Noah Weiss, M. (ed.), Socratic Handbook:Dialogue Methods for Philosophical Practice. Wien: LIT Verlag 
• Hansen, F. T. (2010): The Phenomenology of Wonder in Higher Education. In: Brinkmann, M. (ed.): Erziehung. Phänomenologische Perspektiven, p. 161-178. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann.   
• Hansen, F. T. (2007 [1st edition: 2002]): Det filosofiske liv. Et dannelsesideal for eksistenspædagogikken [The Philosophical Life: A Bildung Ideal for Existential Pedagogy] Copenhagen: Hans Reitzels Forlag.