S1E3: Bildung with Prof Anders Buch

What if engineering was about more than efficiency, skills, and problem‑solving?In this episode, Professor Anders Buch joins Nevena Vajdic to unpack the concept of Bildung and why it matters for engineers, especially in an age of AI, automation, and global technological impact.From the roots of Bildung in philosophy to its relevance for engineering education, responsibility, and care, this conversation invites us to rethink what it means to build, not just technically, but ethically, socially, and collectively.Professor Anders Buch has spent more than 35 years exploring how work and professional education intertwine in social contexts, shaping the production of experience, expertise, and knowledge. His research spans education, philosophy of technology, science and technology studies, engineering studies, the sociology of professions and professionalism, working life studies, organization studies, and practice-based theory. He has held positions at the Danish Society of Engineers, the Technical University of Denmark, and Aalborg University, and is currently Professor at VIA University College in Denmark and affiliated with Jönköping University in Sweden. His recent publications focus on the role of digitalization and AI in professional work and education, as well as the evolving character of engineering professionalism in contemporary society.Learn more about Bildung: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-86581-7This episode was originally recorded in September 2025.Music: "C-Funk" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License