Lene Rachel Andersen
Lene Rachel Andersen (born May 15, 1968) is a Danish author, economist, futurist, and philosopher. She grew up in Taastrup, near Copenhagen. She has written several books in English, including The Nordic Secret (2017), Metamodernity (2019), Bildung (2020), What is Bildung? (2021 online), and Libertism (2022). In 2018 she co-founded the Nordic Bildung think tank and the Fremvirke association. In 2019 she initiated European Bildung Day and in 2020 helped start the European Bildung Network. Since January 2019 she has been a member of the Club of Rome.
From age 16, Andersen made radio programs and wrote scripts for radio and TV satire. She studied business economy for three years, then worked as a temporary teacher and secretary for two years before studying theology for four years to become a pastor in the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church. During theology studies she wrote entertainment for Danish television. In 1993 she had a religious crisis and chose to convert to Judaism.
Her first major work as an author was Baade-Og (Both-And), a five-volume series published between 2005 and 2009. It follows a dialogue between Cornelius Magnussen and Tenna Rasmussen as they explore Big History and how culture evolves, introducing ideas like Global Existentialism and the concept of “Homo Liquens” and advocating a flexible, “both and” worldview. She later published Democracy Handbook and The Nordic Secret, which was edited by Tomas Björkman.
Andersen runs Det Andersenske Forlag (Andersenske Publishing), an independent Danish press focused on philosophy and democracy. In 2011 she was appointed to the Danish government’s Values Commission. In 2018 she helped found Nordic Bildung, and today she is its president. The organization is a key player in the Global Bildung Network and the Global Bildung Day.
Her book series on Nordic Bildung includes Metamodernity (2019), Bildung Keep Growing (2020), and Libertism (2022). In 2021 she published What is Bildung and how does it relate to Adult Learning and Education (ALE), a practical guide for educators on how to use bildung in Europe’s adult education programs.
Libertism builds on ideas from Metamodernity and Bildung, proposing a broad framework for understanding today’s world and the many freedoms people need. It outlines 21 types of freedom, discusses how freedoms interact with responsibility, and suggests ways to balance freedom from and freedom to to support democracy and Bildung.
Andersen has received two Danish awards for her books.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:05 (CET).