The Philosophy and Sociology of Listening

What does it matter what people speak when no one listens? If one were to study all the academic fields, would one not essentially be listening to various experts from various fields making various claims about the same world? If no one would listen to each other’s unique experiences of the world and reality, how would we ever be able to organize ourselves in a well-functioning society? Isn’t listening then the predominant constitutive element of communication, knowledge, and society? Academic research and discourse predominantly focus on language and speaking, but little attention is given to the other side of language: listening. It should therefore not be all too surprising to the sensitive and careful observer that in everyday life we see more people talking past each other than listening to each other; much attention is demanded, little is supplied. How does listening therefore relate to the world and society, and vice versa? This is a crucial question to understand in order to tackle many issues in all fields of life as one will not find any part in life where listening is not utilized. This course will therefore focus on the transdisciplinary inquiry of listening (what listening is) and its wider relation to society.