The Time Magazine listed our guest today among America’s 25 most influential people in 1996. And with that, we are truly honored to welcome Professor Carol Gilligan in this episode! Carol is one of the most influential psychologists and ethicists of our time. She is the author of the groundbreaking book In a Different Voice, which not only reshaped moral development theory but also introduced the now widely recognized ethics of care. Currently based at New York University, she has held distinguished positions at Harvard and Cambridge. Her work has had a lasting impact not only in psychology and philosophy but also in education, gender studies, and democratic theory. In this episode, we speak with Carol about the origins of In a Different Voice, the overlooked abortion study that inspired it, and the paradigm shift she helped initiate—from abstract principles of justice to an ethics rooted in care, relationship, and responsibility. We also explore the role of embodied knowledge, the resurgence of patriarchy, and why helping children—and societies—find their voices is more urgent than ever.

00:01:16 – A bit about Carol’s personal story

00:09:56 – About the abortion decision study which lead to In a Different Voice

00:16:57 – About the paradigm shift towards the ethics of care

00:21:47 – What does responsibility mean to Carol?

00:27:32 – What role does intuition have with regard to the human voice?

00:31:58 – What would it look like in practice if we were to teach teacher students or nursing students in a way that would enhance their intuition?

00:33:16 – What does the voice of resistance sound like?

00:41:50 – Why did Carol call her book Darkness Now Visible?

Literature:

• Gilligan, C. (1982): In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674445444.
• Gilligan, C (1991) Women, Girls and Psychotherapy. Reframing resistance.
• Gilligan, C. Between Voice and Silence (1996): Women and Girls, Race and Relationships.
• Gilligan, C. (2011). Joining the resistance. Cambridge, UK Malden, Massachusetts: Polity Press. ISBN 9780745651705.
• Gilligan, C and David Richards (2020). Darkness now visible - Patriarchy`s Resurgence and Feminist resistance
• Gilligan, C. (2023): In a Human Voice. Cambridge: Polity Press ISBN 9781509556809.

Our guest in this episode is Dr. Helgard Mahrdt from the Center for Gender Research at the University of Oslo. She was also Associate Professor at the Department of Literature, Area Studies, and European Languages and Visiting Professor at the University of Ljubljana. Furthermore, she served as a Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities in Copenhagen and has been affiliated with the Humaniora study group at the University of Oslo. In this episode, we explore her long-standing engagement with the political thought of Hannah Arendt, focusing on Arendt’s insights into education, judgment, and responsibility. We discuss Arendt’s concept of the educator’s double responsibility—toward both the child and the world—and what it means to teach in an era marked by alienation, expropriation, and the breakdown of tradition. We also reflect on the role of thinking, remembering, and public discourse in shaping democratic life, and on how educators and universities must respond to rising authoritarian pressures.

00:01:25 – What brought Helgard to study the life and work of Hannah Arendt?

00:03:48 – On the double responsibility of the educator

00:04:09 – On Arendt’s concept of Being-in-the-world and its relevance for education

00:11:45 – On the difference between moral and political responsibility

00:15:52 – What lessons can we draw from Arendt regarding current radical political movements?

00:21:19 – Do universities have a political responsibility?

Literature:

• Arendt, H. (2017): The Origins of Totalitarianism. London: Penguin Books.
• Arendt, H. (2018): The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Arendt, H. (2022): Eichmann in Jerusalem. London: Penguin Books.
• Arendt, H. (2006): On Revolution. London: Penguin Books.
• Mahrdt, H. (in progress) Hannah Arendt – to be at home in the world. Vidar Forlag: Oslo.
• Mahrdt, H. (2022): Responding to wrong-doing. Ethics and Education. ISSN 1744-9642. 17(2), p. 197–210. doi: 10.1080/17449642.2022.2054541.
• Mahrdt, H. (2018): Arendt and the notion of plurality, In: Filosofisk supplement.
• Mahrdt, H. (2015): Refugees and Europe: a dilemma or a turning point. In: Studier i Pedagogisk Filosofi. Vol. 4. No. 2.
• Mahrdt, H. (2012): Hannah Arendt: Self-disclosure, Worldliness and plurality. Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology. Vol 43. No.3. (pp.250-263).

The guest of our episode today is the internationally acclaimed wisdom researcher, Monika Ardelt. Monika is Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida and a Founding Faculty Member and serves on the Advisory Committee of the University of Florida’s Center for Spirituality and Health. She is widely recognized in the global wisdom research community for developing the influential Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS), a pioneering tool that conceptualizes wisdom as a combination of cognitive, reflective, and compassionate dimensions. In this episode, we talk with Monika about how she came to study wisdom, what makes someone wise, and how wisdom can be cultivated across the lifespan. We explore the links between wisdom, well-being, resilience, meaning-making, spirituality, and responsibility—and whether wisdom can be taught in educational settings. Monika also reflects on the challenges of measuring wisdom across cultures and why she believes that wisdom is ultimately not something found in books, but embodied in the way we live our lives.

00:01:19 – How Monika became a wisdom researcher

00:07:00 – The story behind the 3D Wisdom Scale

00:11:32 – Is wisdom universal?

00:11:32 – Wisdom and meaning-making

00:11:32 – Can young people be wise?

00:22:30 – Can wisdom be taught?

00:25:10 – How do students respond to the university course on wisdom?

00:27:05 – On wisdom and spirituality

00:32:00 – On wisdom and responsibility

Further literature:

• Ardelt, M. (2003): Empirical assessment of a three-dimensional wisdom scale. Research on Aging, 25(3): 275-324.
• Ardelt, M. (2004): Wisdom as Expert Knowledge System: A Critical Review of a Contemporary Operationalization of an Ancient Concept. Human Development, 47(5), 257–285. https://doi.org/10.1159/000079154
• Ardelt, M. (2000): Antecenents and Effects of Wisdom in Old Age: A Longitudinal Perspective on Aging Well. Research on Aging. Volume: 22 issue: 4, page(s): 360-394
• Zadworna, M. & Ardelt, M. (2025): Understanding mental health in older adults: exploring the interplay of wisdom, perceived poor health, and attitudes toward agingAging & Mental Health 2025-01-24 | Journal article DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2025.2452943
• Ardelt, M. & Kingsbury, J. (2024): Wisdom, Virtues, and Well-Being: An Empirical Test of Aristotle’s Theory of Flourishing. Topoi. 2024-08 | Journal article DOI: 10.1007/s11245-023-10002-x
• Ardelt, M.; Kim, J.J. &Ferrari, M. (2023): Does Self-Transcendent Wisdom Mediate the Relation between Spirituality and Well-Being? A Test Across Six Nations Journal of Happiness Studies | Journal article DOI: 10.1007/s10902-023-00637-3