Research team

Talking with the North Sea. Ethics in a posthuman world. 01/11/2024 - 31/10/2026

Abstract

Posthumanist environmental philosophy is a promising approach to rethinking humanity's relationship with the natural world. However, there are multiple challenges standing in the way from it being applicable in a wide range of circumstances. In particular, this movement faces challenges of agency, ethics and implementation. That is, posthumanist environmental philosophy leaves unclear how human agency should be understood, what its relation is to existing approaches to ethics, and how its insights should be implemented. This research aims to tackle these challenges in order to make posthumanism more applicable in real life. The challenge of agency is addressed firstly through conceptual engineering on the concepts 'autopoiesis' and 'sympoiesis', before broadening the analysis to include the wider discussion on agency. The challenge of ethics is addressed through a critical comparative analysis between posthumanist normativity and care and care ethics. The challenge of implementation is addressed through a field-philosophical collaboration with the Embassy of the North Sea. The final product of this research will be a framework for a posthumanist ethics – one that is consistent with posthumanist aims and commitments while simultaneously adding clarity and practicability to the existing literature.

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Research team(s)

Project type(s)

  • Research Project