Maria Balaska (Hertfordshire University and Åbo Akademi University)
Wonder: What we can learn from it?

The mood of wonder has been famously associated with the origin of philosophy, but what is the precise nature of that link? In this talk I draw a distinction between two forms of wonder, the wonder that takes as an object some unusual entity, and what I call “objectless wonder”, wonder that is directed to everything and nothing in particular. Whereas the first form of wonder lies behind science and epistemic achievements, the second form of wonder lies behind the activity of philosophy. I draw on and bring together themes from Plato, Heidegger, and Wittgenstein.

Maria Balaska is a research fellow at the University of Hertfordshire and at Åbo Akademi University. Previously she was Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire. She is currently finishing a book on Anxiety and Wonder that draws on Heidegger’s and Kierkegaard’s work. Her previous publications include the monograph ‘Wittgenstein and Lacan at the Limit: meaning and astonishment’ and the edited collection ‘Cora Diamond on Ethics’.