Svend Brinkmann: The Meaning of It All

Svend Brinkmann has spent years researching what makes us human - what drives us, what we believe in, and why happiness is so hard to grasp. In this lecture, he focuses on the meaning of life and the question that can give even the most fearless philosopher goosebumps: what are we actually here for?

We strive for recognition, healing, and career in pursuit of a good and meaningful life. But what is the meaning of it all? And what happens to those who lose it? Brinkmann investigates whether the answer should be sought in family, at work, through faith - or within ourselves.

He draws on his years of research and his professional and personal search for answers. Brinkmann is a professor of general psychology and qualitative methods at the Faculty of Humanities at Aalborg University and a member of the Danish Council of Ethics.

He has written and edited more than 200 academic articles and numerous books, including "Stand Firm" (2014), "Miss Out" (2017), "Think" (2022), and "The Experience Society" (2023). His most recent publications are "Wellbeing Round Trip" (2025) and "Human Ethics" (2026). The lecture takes place in the Great Hall.