How can religious traditions regarding death and dying be adapted for a modern secular culture? What can the concept of 'inner space' contribute to understanding and improving care for the dying and support for the bereaved? And what role do moments of wonder play in the practice of care?

These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Carlo Leget. Carlo is Professor of Care Ethics at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht in the Netherlands and the co-founder, with Mai-Britt Guldin, of the Center for Grief and Existential Values, which is based in Aarhus, Denmark. Originally trained as a theologian, Carlo has worked in the fields of moral theology, medical ethics, care ethics and spirituality. His publications in English include Living with God: Thomas Aquinas on the Relation between Life on Earth and ‘Life' after Death, published in 1997, the influential book Art of Living, Art of Dying: Spiritual Care for a Good Death, from 2017, and, with Finn Thorbjørn Hansen and Solveig Botnen Eide, the edited collection Wonder, Silence, and Human Flourishing: Toward a Rehumanization of Health, Education, and Welfare, which was published in 2023. Grief and Existential Awareness: an Integrative Approach, co-written with Mai-Britt Guldin, will be published later this year.

We discuss the following topics in this episode:

Carlo's journey from theology to care ethics (02:45)

The philosophers and writers who have influenced Carlo's thinking (06:58)

The Masters programme in Care Ethics at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht (08:15)

'Art of Living, Art of Dying' (13:23)

The concept of 'inner space' (17:02)

The art of dying model in practice (22:24)

The relevance of the model in a secular and multicultural society (26:19)

A care-ethical approach to euthanasia and assisted dying (30:15)

The Center for Grief and Existential Values (36:32)

An integrative process model of grief and loss (41:57)

'Wonder, Silence and Human Flourishing' (46:49)

The concept of resonance (49:38)

'Wonder Labs' and their relevance for care practice (54:42)

Carlo's plans for future research and writing (57:04)

Links to some of Carlo's publications

'Living with God: Thomas Aquinas on the Relation between Life on Earth and "Life" after Death'

'Art of Living, Art of Dying: Spiritual Care for a Good Death'

'Wonder, Silence, and Human Flourishing: Toward a Rehumanization of Health, Education, and Welfare'

'The integrated process model of loss and grief – an interprofessional understanding’

Other publications mentioned in the episode

Hans-Georg Gadamer, 'Truth and Method'