A wellspring of resonance: ‘Slow science education’ as an antidote to alienation

Other conference contribution, 2025

Sociological analysis of modern life, including the scientific worldview, have often described it as alienating, disconnecting us from nature, others and ourselves. A life well-lived has by sociologist Hartmut Rosa in contrast been theorized as built on relations of resonance, establishing enduring and mutual connections. Studying unconventional paths into tertiary physics studies, we have identified how physics can act as a source of resonance in students’ lives. Drawing from a set of interviews with 21 undergraduate physics students, we find that a number of them have experienced physics as providing resonant experiences and that this has been life-changing for a few of them. Resonant experiences with physics have provided a contrast to an alienating everyday life, as well as alienating school teaching. We present the stories of two students, and show how for them, physics became crucial for a well-lived life, both in formal, informal and unconventional science contexts, and eventually at university. In these contexts, the students experienced epistemic agency. This can be considered as an inspiration for a ‘slow science education’, drawing on ideas of Bildung, that is not only student-oriented but also relation-oriented. We argue that science education can be empowering and counter alienation by building meaningful, resonant, relations to the world.