There are certainly very good memories from my time at the University of Helsinki, but I would like to select two: the first is the Symposium on Dynamics of Active Perception I organized with my colleagues Kimmo Alho (Professor of Psychology) and Thomas Wallgren (Lecturer of Philosophy) at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies in 2014.

After two very intense days of presentations and discussions in a formal context, we moved to the common room and debated for hours about mental functions, wellbeing, language, emotions and other things. Particularly gratifying – and possible due to the Collegium’s explicit aim of simultaneously promoting excellence and interdisciplinarity – was to have such a lively debate with world renowned psychologists, philosophers, medical doctors, cognitive scientists, and literary studies scholars, etc.

Maybe academics should have the motto that there is no conceptual gap too deep for a truly engaged scholar to transverse, even if very far away from their comfort zone.

My second favorite moment was delivering the speech at the non-denominational ceremony of the opening of the Academic year (2015–2016) at the University of Helsinki (pictured).

In the context of a heated political debate over the cuts facing the University, and while celebrating its 375th anniversary, this felt like an important moment. It is certainly easier to talk about your very narrow field of inquiry than to say something wide in scope and ambition. In the speech, I argued that we need to invest in culture and education as a solution to the societal challenges that we face. In the past – and Finland is a good example of this ­– this investment has led to economic progress and to the promotion of a more equal, more inclusive and fairer society. We should insist on those values rather than dismissing them. I also insisted on the need for continuous support for social sciences and humanities even in this situation of economic strain, because they offer understanding, and that is necessary for human development. The evolution of the brain can be seen as an analogy for those choices: the brain has functions that are necessary for survival, such as the capacities we need in order to find food, but it also has capacities for things that might not be directly related to survival, but which are still fundamental in order to live a meaningful life, such as friendship. Others can judge whether the aim of the speech was achieved, but to talk about such a broad topic as the future could not but be taken personally because it is our future and to talk about such a revered institution as the University of Helsinki could not but be taken personally because it is our University.