{"id":533,"date":"2026-06-03T11:58:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/?page_id=533"},"modified":"2026-06-03T14:00:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:00:26","slug":"about-me","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/en\/about-me\/","title":{"rendered":"The Philosopher of the Public Sphere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My name is Ejvind Hansen. I&#8217;m a philosopher of the public sphere. Since 2010, my work has focused on how public debates address democratic blind spots, informed scholarly and civic discussions on democracy, and contributed to an understanding of technology\u2019s impact on public discourse and the Fourth Estate.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-2023_D6A9591_red.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-2023_D6A9591_red.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait1\" class=\"wp-image-498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-2023_D6A9591_red.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-2023_D6A9591_red-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-2023_D6A9591_red-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Kasper S\u00f8holt, DMJX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am a senior associate professor at the <a href=\"https:\/\/dmjx.dk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Danish School of Media and Journalism (DMJX)<\/a>, where my main focus is on the intersections between democracy, the public sphere and technology \u2013 all examined through the lens of philosophical analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am particularly interested in looking beyond the prevailing forms of consensus and the conflicts that are taken for granted, in seeking out the cracks in the fabric of coherence and the silence behind what is said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a general level, I am inspired by hermeneutics\u2019 idea that philosophy is about becoming better at asking questions; I am interested in the deliberative endeavour to reach mutual understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, however, I insist that the efforts to create coherence and build consensus in philosophical thought and social discourse must be continually challenged by pointing out fundamental logjams or deadlocks that structure society and discourse. In this work, I am particularly inspired by more poststructuralist currents in philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2-IMG_1647_red.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" src=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2-IMG_1647_red.jpg\" alt=\"Dissemination1\" class=\"wp-image-499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2-IMG_1647_red.jpg 500w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2-IMG_1647_red-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Private<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My interest in the dialectic between what creates coherence and what fragments has led me to a focus upon the paradoxical foundation of thought, which is seeking to reveal systematic connections, whilst, at the same time, the diversity of existence fundamentally resists such effortless coherence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, first articulated this insight as the foundation of and motor for his critique of pure reason:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unsre Erkenntnis entspringt aus zwei Grundquellen des Gem\u00fcts, deren die erste ist, die Vorstellungen zu empfangen (die Rezeptivit\u00e4t der Eindr\u00fccke), die zweite das Verm\u00f6gen, durch diese Vorstellungen einen Gegenstand zu erkennen (Spontaneit\u00e4t der Begriffe); durch die erstere wird uns ein Gegenstand <em>gegeben<\/em>, durch die zweite wird dieser im Verh\u00e4ltnis auf jene Vorstellung (als blo\u00dfe Bestimmung des Gem\u00fcts) <em>gedacht<\/em>. (KrV, intro, trans log)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-D6A9552_red.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-D6A9552_red.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait2\" class=\"wp-image-500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-D6A9552_red.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-D6A9552_red-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-D6A9552_red-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Kasper S\u00f8holt, DMJX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The assignment of philosophy is to bring to light how the world and society present us with a number of unsolvable tasks that we have to try to solve &#8212; despite their inextricability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In relation to the democratic public sphere, philosophy is important because an awareness of these logjams or deadlocks can help us keep open the social questions &#8212; despite a wish on the side of the powerful to keep them hidden, because often they will have gained their positions as a result of current strategies of handling the deadlocks.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4-1768203574207.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"335\" src=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4-1768203574207.jpeg\" alt=\"Dissemination2\" class=\"wp-image-501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4-1768203574207.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4-1768203574207-300x201.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Private<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More concretely this interest has led me to reflections on the <a href=\"\/akademiske-publikationer\/?yr=&amp;type=&amp;auth=&amp;usr=&amp;tgid=11#tppubs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">freedom of expression<\/a> (how to prevent freedom of expression from undermining itself), <a href=\"\/akademiske-publikationer\/?yr=&amp;type=&amp;auth=&amp;usr=&amp;tgid=25#tppubs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">courage<\/a> in the democratic public sphere (how to facilitate that it is possible to participate courageously and challenging in the public debates), <a href=\"\/akademiske-publikationer\/?yr=&amp;type=&amp;auth=&amp;usr=&amp;tgid=24#tppubs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">forgiving<\/a> (how forgiving can be used to break down stereotypes and unsolvable conflicts). A special area of focus has also been how <a href=\"\/akademiske-publikationer\/?yr=&amp;type=&amp;auth=&amp;usr=&amp;tgid=13#tppubs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">discourse analysis<\/a> can be an important tool for the fourth estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last but not least, in recent years I have been interested in <a href=\"\/akademiske-publikationer\/?yr=&amp;type=&amp;auth=&amp;usr=&amp;tgid=26#tppubs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">silence<\/a> in the public discourses (how silence plays a fruitful role in public discourses &#8212; with a special emphasis on listening-, focusing-, and thoughtfulnessgenerating silence).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2023_D6A9677_red.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2023_D6A9677_red.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2023_D6A9677_red.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2023_D6A9677_red-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-2023_D6A9677_red-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Kasper S\u00f8holt, DMJX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Background information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am trained as a philosopher at Aarhus University, where I hold a Master\u2019s degree (1999), a PhD (2005) and the <a href=\"https:\/\/offentligheder.dk\/forsvar-doktorafhandling-om-tavshedens-produktive-rolle-i-offentligheden\/#uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">higher doctoral degree (Dr.Phil, Habil &#8212; 2024)<\/a> in philosophy. From 2002 to 2009 I was employed at the Department of Philosophy and History of Ideas at Aarhus University, where I taught and conducted research in traditional philosophical subjects. My focus was particularly on German phenomenology, critical theory and French poststructuralism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the end of 2009, I have been employed as a senior associate professor at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmjx.dk\/om-os\/kontakt\/medarbejdere\/ejvind-hansen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Danish School of Media and Journalism<\/a>, where I mainly focus on the philosophy of the public sphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Publications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Books (<a href=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/akademiske-publikationer\/?yr=&amp;type=&amp;auth=&amp;usr=&amp;tgid=27#tppubs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Academic publications (<a href=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/akademiske-publikationer\/?yr=&amp;type=&amp;auth=&amp;usr=&amp;tgid=9#tppubs\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/akademiske-publikationer\/?yr=&amp;type=&amp;auth=&amp;usr=&amp;tgid=9#tppubs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dissemination (<a href=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/akademiske-publikationer\/?yr=&amp;type=&amp;auth=&amp;usr=&amp;tgid=17#tppubs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5094-4355\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Orcid<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucviden.dk\/da\/persons\/ejvind-hansen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">UCViden<\/a> (Danish researchdatabase)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?hl=en&amp;user=mQy_h1kAAAAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google Scholar<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact and further readings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My professional contact information can be found here (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmjx.dk\/om-os\/kontakt\/medarbejdere\/ejvind-hansen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">link<\/a>). I can also be contacted through the contact page (<a href=\"\/en\/kontakt\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"\/kontakt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">link<\/a>). For further information, I recommend clicking on the &#8220;Philosophy&#8221;-menu on this page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6-20250718-105025_red2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"297\" src=\"http:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6-20250718-105025_red2-1024x297.jpg\" alt=\"Thoughtfulness\" class=\"wp-image-503\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6-20250718-105025_red2-1024x297.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6-20250718-105025_red2-300x87.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6-20250718-105025_red2-768x223.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6-20250718-105025_red2-1536x446.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6-20250718-105025_red2.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Private<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My name is Ejvind Hansen. I&#8217;m a philosopher of the public sphere. Since 2010, my work has focused on how public debates address democratic blind spots, informed scholarly and civic discussions on<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/en\/about-me\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-533","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["dk","en"],"languages":{"dk":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":538,"href":"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/533\/revisions\/538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ejvindh.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}