Call for Papers
\nA Weaponised Earth: The Elements of Death and Disappearance
\nThe Philosopher Spring 2027
\nSpeaking of the agency of nature is \;now \;common \;practice. The biosphere is recognised as being life sustaining and its vitality essential to human existence. Following thinkers such as Felix \;Guattari\, nature has \;also \;been recognised has having subjective qualities\, inseparable from the meaning and values humans \;attribute \;to life and \;the \;visions \;we conjure \;of \;what constitutes \;a just and habitable future. The \;philosophical \;legacy of Immanuel Kant looms large over this \;aesthetic \;terrain\, notably his work on the beautiful and the sublime\, which \;still \;compels us to \;consider the \;complex \;relationship between humans and life-world systems. \; \;
\nYet if we accept the planetary biosphere is life giving \;and sustaining\, might it also be life taking? We only \;have to \;think of the way oceans and deserts have been consciously weaponised to bring about the death and disappearance of precarious \;human \;bodies. Nature \;is capable of revealing \;back &ldquo\;signs of life&rdquo\;\; \;unusual flora and fauna grow where bodies are decomposing \;which suggests \;a kind of \;witnessing \;by nature. Does \;this complicity and \;witnessing \;in acts of killing point to a different kind of agency? \;What does that mean for how space is lived \;and \;imagined? And does it require us to \;speak to a more than human relationality? \; \; \; \; \;
\nThis \;special edition of \;The Philosopher \; \;(https://www.thephilosopher1923.org/) invites contributions dealing \;in a broad sense with the weaponisation of the earth. We encourage submissions \;that \;specifically question \;the violent agency of nature\; \;the conscious weaponisation of the elements (earth\, air\, fire and \;water)\; \;the terror of the \;sublime\; \;and how the planetary biosphere \;is \;witness to human atrocities\, thereby \;challenging \;our understanding of \;forensic\, aesthetic\, \;and ontological awareness. \;Contributions \;that \;address the interplay between visibility and disappearance in acts of killing that require a rethinking of ecologies of belonging and thought \;are also encouraged. \; \;
\nThe volume will complement the \;A Natural History of Violence \;exhibition to be held in Puebla\, Mexico in 2027 by the acclaimed Mexican painter Chantal Meza\, whose art will feature throughout the edition. \;A series of events and masterclasses will be held (physically and virtually) \;in association with this that will draw from the \;volumes \;contributions. \; \;
\nDeadlines: \; \;Submission of Proposed Abstracts: \;May \;1st \;2026 \;
\nSubmission of 1st \;Drafts: \; \;September 1st \;2026 \;
\nSubmission of final drafts: December 1st \;2026 \;
\nContributions: Submit an abstract (250-400 words) using \;The Philosopher submission form \;(see bottom of this page). Include &ldquo\;Weaponized Earth&rdquo\; in your working title and the intended genre from the following:
\nEssays: \;3000 word \;limit addressing the key themes \;
\nCreative Interventions: \;1500 word \;limit\, which can be in a poetic or literary style \;
\nInterviews: \;2000 word \;limit with \;leading authorities \;from academic\, policy\, activist\, or cultural spheres.
\nPlease note: The Philosopher is a magazine of public philosophy. Contributions should be written in clear\, non-technical language that is suitable for a general audience and avoids excessive jargon. \;
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