Experiencing Environments – Human Perspectives in the Changing World

With this three-day on-site conference, the IIAA aims to bring together scholars from different fields and backgrounds to discuss the experiential side of human existence in relation to the multiplicity of living environments and conditions.

Keynotes: 
Mădălina Diaconu (University of Vienna)
Jeff Malpas, (University of Tasmania, online)
Ted Toadvine (Pennsylvania State University)
Panel on Arnold Berleant’s Work in Environmental Aesthetics with panelists: Max Ryynänen (Aalto University), Fotini Vassiliou (University of Athens), Arto Haapala (University of Helsinki) Harri Mäcklin (University of Helsinki), and Arnold Berleant (Long Island University)  

Human habitats are of very different kinds; they vary from vast megalopolises to isolated wilderness areas. Whatever the physical, social, cultural, or digital environment might be, we humans encounter it, first and foremost, with our senses. We see, hear, smell, taste, and touch, and in this way, are engaged with the environment. Clearly, we also try to make sense of our perceptions, place our perceptions into a conceptual setting of some kind, and orient ourselves with the environment. The ways we encounter environments vary a great deal, for example, depending on our personal and cultural backgrounds. Whether there are any universally human ways to be in the world is an issue that many philosophers have explored. Are there certain interpretive strategies that help us to navigate the complexities of the world? Most importantly, how are we to cope within the constantly changing living conditions? In the foreseeable future, human living conditions are expected to undergo radical changes due to global warming and technological developments, and there are bound to be dramatic environmental changes. What is the role of aesthetic experiences and aesthetic values in all this?  

The IIAA organizes the XVI summer conference together with the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Arts, the Lahti University Campus, the Finnish Society for Aesthetics, the City of Lahti, LAB University of Applied Sciences, Visit Lahti, and the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science.