CFP: Phenomenology and the Environment

Call for Papers: Phenomenology and the Environment

In the last ten years there has been an explosion of writing about the
contributions phenomenology can make to our understanding of the
environment. The volume, proposed by Rowman & Littlefield, would be a
compilation of essays reflecting the work of contemporary practitioners of
phenomenology into the core questions of environmental philosophy. The sense
of “phenomenology” here is an expansive one, meant to include not only
traditional varieties, but also those, for example, informed by more
existential, hermeneutic, post-structuralist, or post-phenomenological
approaches and figures.

The purpose of the manuscript is to extend the influence of phenomenology to
a more interdisciplinary audience by writing in an accessible way that
speaks to current environmental concerns without sacrificing the depth and
complexity of the ideas under discussion. To be more specific, the book will
be divided into four sections, each corresponding to one area in which
continental philosophers have written extensively: metaphysics, science and
technology, ethics and politics, and aesthetics. These are obviously very
broad headings, but the idea is to present the continental tradition as a
coherent and systematic alternative approach to environmental philosophy,
one that shares the practical concerns of more conventional approaches but
regards both what is at stake and how to approach it differently.  To do so,
the volume’s emphasis will be on the use of concepts and methods (e.g.,
intentionality, embodiment, genealogy, relationality, the reductions, etc.)
rather than on interpreting the thought of specific figures.

Some questions that might be considered include, but are not limited to the
following:
--How can we best understand what nature is in a phenomenological philosophy?
--What role does nature play in the constitution of the self?
--What are more and less appropriate ways for humanity to inhabit the
landscape?
--Given phenomenology’s historical understanding of the sciences, what are
some of the epistemological or practical issues in using science to discuss
the environment?
--Can certain technologies help us to address environmental concerns?
--What attitudes or dispositions are most conducive to avoiding the mastery
of nature?
--Is phenomenology a post-humanist philosophy or another form of humanism?
--Is the aesthetic appreciation of nature different from that of the work of
art?
--What might phenomenological aesthetics contribute to our understanding of
natural beauty?

Proposals should be approximately 750-1000 words in length, explaining both
the nature of the project and its specific relation to the phenomenological
tradition (broadly conceived). Proposals can be emailed to Bryan Bannon,
assistant professor of philosophy ([email protected]).

Deadline for consideration: June 2nd, 2014