On 16 June 2025, I had the pleasure of attending Tom Hannes’ doctoral defence in Eindhoven (Netherlands). It was a generous and thoughtful exchange, shaped by art and philosophy, and animated by an ecological sensitivity that resonated deeply with my own research journey.
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| A World of Beginners Tom Hannes' doctoral defence 16 June 2025, TU Eindhoven, Netherlands 📷 Greet Angèle De Baets |
Doctor Tom’s work offers a contemporary view of the world through an Eastern lens. Drawing on Buddhism as a methodological framework, he explores interaction as relational, ecological, and ideally situated in what he calls the mesocosmic critical zone: the thin layer between the microcosm (the self, the soul, reason, innermost feelings…) and the macrocosm (the cosmic Principle, God, nirvana, Truth…). The mesocosm is the in-between zone in which relations develop that are beneficial, even fundamental, to and actually the very goal of a meaningful life.
What I sensed during the defence was not just an overlap with my own research, but a deeper compatibility. I, too, approached my doctorate through an Eastern lens: the Japanese martial art of aikido. Our two paths meet in the recognition that interaction is not fixed or linear, but emergent, co-created, and profoundly meaningful.
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| Tom Hannes during his doctoral defence 16 June 2025, TU Eindhoven, Netherlands 📷 Greet Angèle De Baets |
Morality and Nobility
For both of us, interaction is a process of self-regulation, co-regulation, and co-evolution. In Tom’s view, this calls for mesocosmic morality, a way of acting within the in-between with care and ecological awareness. My research proposed a complementary concept: anthropocosmic nobility, an ethical stance rooted in the understanding that humans are not the centre of the universe (anthropocentric), but embedded in a web of relations with self, society, nature, heaven, and the cosmos.
These ethical orientations — mesocosmic morality and anthropocosmic nobility — echo one another in name and share a deep concern for how to live and act with dignity in a deeply connected, yet complex, world. And we in this world have much to learn; we are beginners. Although as beginners, we still have much room for development, a beginner's mind has the advantage of fostering the openness and curiosity we need to act and connect. The resonance between mesocosmic morality and anthropocosmic nobility invites a more careful reading of Doctor Tom’s work, not only to grasp his articulation of mesocosmic morality, but also to deepen and clarify my own evolving understanding of anthropocosmic nobility.
There is much more to uncover in his dissertation. It offers a richness of concept and a precision of thought that demand more than a passing glance. The real promise lies in diving deep into the detail, into the dialogue, and into the shared question of how we meet one another, wisely and well, in this intricate world.
Thank you, Major Tom*… oups, Doctor Tom, for your public invitation and the warm welcome you gave in the mesocosm.
* https://www.facebook.com/reel/459565463081219
Greet Angèle DE BAETS
References De Baets, G. A. (2024). Embodied learning with and from aikido: a mixed-methods investigation into teaching intercultural communication skills for the workplace. Ghent University, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent, Belgium.
Hannes, T. I. I. (2025). What do We Call the World? A Plea for Developing an Anthropocene Morality Based on a Non-Axial Rereading of Buddhism. [Phd Thesis 1 (Research TU/e / Graduation TU/e), Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences]. Eindhoven University of Technology.
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