Life course, loss and grief
How do we deal with the major moments in a person’s life – birth, ageing, loss and death? And how do we give meaning to experiences such as loneliness, grief or the awareness of finitude? These ethical and existential questions are central to this theme.
We conduct both theoretical and practical research into the moral and meaningful dimensions of the life course. This includes decisive phases such as the beginning and end of life, but also how people deal with ageing or loss of stability.
Within this theme, we build bridges between healthcare practice, meaning and ethics. How can healthcare professionals deal with the existential and moral questions that arise time and again in their work? And how can we collectively shape a humane and dignified approach to what it means to be human – the so-called “human condition” – in the 21st century? Rituals and shared meaning play an important role in this.