Promotion Sophia Höff

About the dissertation

In her doctoral dissertation, Sophia Höff investigates what makes family life meaningful. This question arises when people experience family as lacking something in spite of its seemingly strong givenness. Family is usually understood as constituted by a genetic bond or fulfilling certain social functions like upbringing and care. The experience that this givenness is not enough to experience family as meaningful is in this research approached as part of the general human longing for fulfillment which remains unsatisfied. How then is a meaningful family life possible? And what is the role of the individual in finding meaning, can it create meaning?

In conversation with theologians and philosophers

In this research the question of meaningful family life in the tension between givenness and transcendence is explored in conversation with various philosophers and theologians, and some literary works. They all illuminate a dimension of being human, relationships or the phenomenon of family. The literary works allow the often abstract philosophical and theological discussions to be related to ‘real life’ family situations.

Neighbourly love

The concept of neighbourly love then becomes the central lens for understanding how transcendent meaning can be experienced within given life. Guiding texts here are Hannah Arendt's dissertation on Augustine and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Ethics. In these, neighbourly love is seen as both a divine gift and a free human act. This is further elaborated by Sartre’s thinking who emphasises the need to break the human focus on fulfilling only their own desires. This break cannot be realised by human beings themselves, but being open to love and trying to act in accordance with it are ways to find meaning, also in the family.

First supervisor: Prof. Dr. Petruschka Schaafsma; second supervisor: Prof. Dr. Maarten Wisse.

Short biography

Sophia Höff, geboren in 1988 in Berlijn, studeerde protestantse theologie en Latijn aan de Humboldt Universiteit van Berlijn en literair schrijven aan de Universiteit van Hildesheim (Duitsland). In 2020 begon ze aan haar proefschrift aan de Protestantse Theologische Universiteit (Nederland). Haar onderzoeksproject maakt deel uit van het Moral Compass Project, dat onderzoekt hoe theologische perspectieven op het goede, en in het bijzonder de transcendente aard ervan, kunnen bijdragen aan het samenleven in onze moreel complexe tijd. Dit project wordt gefinancierd door Stichting Paradosis.

Practical information

• Datum: 28 April 2026
• Tijd: 15:00
• Locatie: Utrecht