Life in the Posthuman Condition

Abstract

Investigates forms of life which lack proper conceptualisation in the field of modern philosophy Engages in recent debates on posthumanism and the Anthropocene Reconsiders different forms of life, such as post-Anthropocene life, animal life, and life of inorganic objects Introduces an interdisciplinary approach which brings together contemporary philosophy, cultural and visual studies, posthumanism, media and technology studies, environmental studies and indigenous cosmologies Outlines new ontologies and engages with new materialism Features contributions by prominent contemporary philosophers and theorists, including Catherine Malabou, T. J. Demos, Graham Harman, Jussi Parikka and Cary Wolfe This collection reconsiders the notion of life and conceptualizes those forms of life which have been excluded from modern philosophy, such as post-Anthropocene life, the life of non-human animals and the life of inorganic objects. The contributors, who include prominent contemporary philosophers and theorists ask a wide range of questions including: what new forms of subjection can we see with the return of the ’Anthropos’?, what can animals teach us in the Anthropocene?, can we reconstruct the perceptual world of animals and take a look into their ’subjectivity’?, what happens to inorganic matter (waste or digital objects) when no longer used by any subject and can we think about inorganic matter in terms of subjective self-awareness? The first section, Life Beyond the Anthropocene, critically questions Anthropocene theory and outlines alternative scenarios, such as Gaia theory or post-Anthropocene forms of life on Earth and other planets, as well as new forms of subjectivity. The second part, Human and Non-Human Interactions, investigates the obscure boundary, between life and non-life, and between human and non-human animal life forms. The third part, Forms of Life and New Ontologies, concentrates on new ontologies and discusses life in terms of vitalism, new materialism, movement, form-taking activity and plasticity.