In this episode we have one of the most distinguished and well-known thinkers of our times with us: Martha C. Nussbaum. She is currently Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, appointed in the Law School and the Philosophy Department. As a philosopher she published on a wide range of topics like ethics, feminism, political philosophy as well as ancient Greek and Roman philosophy. In our conversation with her, we delve into the Princeton Classics edition of her book Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities, which has just been released. Among other topics, we discuss the vital role of liberal arts and explore why their significance is increasingly diminished and even endangered in higher education.

00:01:26 – Why does democracy need the humanities?

00:05:56 – Why is there a Silent Crisis in Higher Education and what is it about?

00:09:57 – Why is it bad that the humanities are eradicated in certain university programs?

00:11:47 – What is Socratic pedagogy and how can it be practiced with students?

00:18:13 – Do one need specific classes to promote the three abilities that foster citizenship?

00:19:42 – What is meant by the ability to cultivate imagination?

00:24:45 – Is our human capacity of transcendence the key to develop responsibility?

00:29:03 – About the educational approach of the philosopher and poet Tagore

00:34:12 – How can liberal education be integrated in professional studies?

00:37:45 – On academic essay writing

00:41:52 – On Greek tragedies and their relevance for today’s world

00:44:11 – Why do we need to think about anger and forgiveness?

00:49:34 – Why philosophers who only have one single message, have become dead

Further literature:

• Callard, A. (2025): Open Socrates. The Case for a Philosophical Life. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
• Nussbaum, Martha (2024): The Tenderness of Silent Minds. Benjamin Britten and his War Requiem. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Nussbaum, Martha (2023): Justice for Animals. Our Collective Responsibility. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
• Nussbaum, M. (2024 [2010]): Not For Profit. Why Democracy Needs The Humanities. Princton & Oxford: Princton University Press.
• Nussbaum, M. (2016): Anger and Forgiveness. Resentment, Generosity, Justice. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press.
• Nussbaum, M. (2001 [1986]): The Fragility of Goodness. Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Nussbaum, Martha (1997). Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

Hilary Bradbury is our guest in this episode. She is a key figure in the vast international movement of action research and editor of The Sage Handbook of Action Research, which is without doubt a cornerstone of action research. Furthermore, she is one of the founders and editors in chief of the Action Research Journal as well as curator of the ActionResearchPlus online platform. In our conversation with her, we investigate central epistemological features of action research and the role of dialogue in this form of research. Last but not least we discuss with Hilary how action research can contribute to change and transformation in face of the climate crises and how spirituality can be approached by this form of research.

00:00:52 – How Hilary got involved in action research

00:02:42 – A short introduction to action research

00:04:55 – What is actionable knowledge?

00:07:32 – Different epistemologies between action research and conventional research

00:09:36 – On the notion of evidence in action research

00:12:54 – On the role of action research in social science and in the humanities

00:15:09 – On reflective practice research as a form of philosophical action research and how to deal with critics of action research

00:20:14 – How to understand impact in action research?

00:26:24 – How can one approach spirituality through action research?

00:37:39 – On practical wisdom and responsibility

Further literature:

• Bradbury, H. (ed.) (2015): The Sage Handbook of Action Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.
• Bradbury, H. (2022): Action Research Transformation: ART at a time of ecosocial crisis. Celtenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Angeltun, Weiss, Helskog & Bloom (forthcoming): “Imagine this…” – Exploring Creativity and Intuition in R&D processes with the Trilogos Method. In: Helskog, G. H. (ed.): The Humanizing Power of Philosophical Practice. Vienna: LIT Publishing.
• www.actionresearchplus.com

The guest of this episode is John Hattie, one of the world’s best-known and most widely read education experts. In our conversation with him, he explains the cornerstones and intentions of his Visible Learning approach. We also discuss several points of criticism that he received for his approach and how he developed it further based on the critique he faced. Furthermore, John also explicates the concept of intentional alignment and why the practice of this concept needs an ethical dimension in order not to be misused. Finally, he advocates a shift of perspective in education from autonomy towards responsibility.

00:01:12 – What is Visible Learning?

00:02:59 – On “Know thy impact”

00:05:55 – On the impact of Visible Learning

00:07:01 – The main critiques of the Visible Learning approach

00:10:23 – On interpreting and building a story around data

00:12:02 – On “What works best”

00:14:37 – The relevance of self-knowledge in the Visible Learning approach

00:16:38 – The Dodo Bird Verdict

00:21:22 – Intentional alignment

00:27:13 – How does a competent teacher become a good teacher?

00:32:48 – On phronesis, Bildung and ResponsAbility

00:36:32 – From autonomy towards responsiblity

Further literature:

• Hattie, J. (2023): Visible Learning: The Sequel A Synthesis of Over 2,100 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. New York, NY: Routledge.
• Hattie, J. & Larsen, S. N. (2020): The Purposes of Education. A Conversation Between John Hattie and Steen Nepper Larsen. New York, NY: Routledge.
• Hattie, J. & Clarke, S. (2019): Visible Learning: Feedback. New York, NY: Routledge.