Planning meeting on 5th Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference

On August 23rd I took part in a planning meeting, via Skype, for the 5th Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference, which will take place in Oslo in November.

Two home exam papers graded

Today I have graded two home exam papers in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of health studies (continuation exam).

4 more hours of teaching

Today I gave two 2-hour seminars in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. Altogether I have taught for 10 hours this week and 12 hours this semester.

Chapter on Kalevi Kull available via academia.edu

The chapter "Kalevi Kull and the rewinding of biosemiotics. Introduction" is available online via Academia.edu, here. It was co-written by Timo Maran, Kati Lindström, Riin Magnus and myself, and appeared in our 2012 Festschrift to Kalevi.

The chapter is also available via the publisher, Tartu University Press.

6 hours of teaching

Today I gave a 2-hour lecture and two 2-hour seminars in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. Topic of the lecture was: What is a human?

Work hour log

In my personal work hour log, I have just transitioned from 2nd to 3rd tertial 2016. In 2nd tertial 2016 I logged 883 work hours (vs. 962,5 work hours in 1st tertial). Average work week so far in 2016 is 53,6 hours.

Photos from Urbino conference

A photo gallery from the third code biology conference (held in Urbino in May) is now online. Excerpt below.

Reflections on New Eden

Today I composed a brief text with reflections on Article Biennial 2016 (Stavanger) - New Eden - on request, as a follow-up to my participation in a panel August 13th. The text is to appear online.

Vetlesen book review revised

Today I revised my book review of Arne Johan Vetlesen´s The denial of nature, for Environmental Philosophy. The review will appear in the fall issue.

MAN board meeting

Today I chaired the bimonthly board meeting of Minding Animals Norway. Among other things we discussed the Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference 2016.

Springer blogpost revised

Today I revised - shortened and simplified - the blog post "Biosemiotics: Making sense of nature", which will appear in Springer´s LifeScienceToday blog.

PhD defence attended

Yesterday I attended two hours of the PhD defense of Arne Endresen at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies.

New - permanent? - office

Today, at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies, I moved from one office to another (KA-A-287). Altogether this is my fourth office. But I assume I will now remain in this one, since I am now permanently employed as Associate professor of philosophy.

Two MC exam papers graded

Today I have graded (fail/pass) two Multiple Choice exam papers in Ex.Phil. for University of Stavanger´s Department of health studies (continuation exam).

First lecture in Ex.Phil. given

Today I gave the first lecture this autumn in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. Some 200 students attended the lecture.

Contractual meeting at real estate agent

Today I took part in a contractual meeting at a real estate agent in relation to the house we have bought in Stavanger. We will move in late November - at which point I will stop commuting, after 5 years in that business.

Program for Center for Cognitive Semiotics concluding symposium

As reported earlier, on December 17th  2015 I presented my commentary "Biosemiotisk synvinkel på CCS" [Biosemiotic perspective on Center for Cognitive Semiotics] during the symposium "Hur människan blev ett så annorlunda djur" [How the human species became such a different animal] at Lund University/the Pufendorf institute. Here is the program of the symposium - see also below.

Blogpost on biosemiotics to appear in Springer´s LifeScienceToday blog

Along with co-editors of Biosemiotics Alexei Sharov and Timo Maran, I have composed a blogpost, mostly drawing on text from our jointly written editorials, for Springer´s blog LifeScienceToday. Our blogpost is entitled "Biosemiotics: Making sense of nature" and will appear one of the next few days.

To contribute to book on carnivores

I have agreed to contribute to a prospective book on carnivores in Southern Norway. Plans are at an early stage.

Panel discussion at Article Biennial held

Saturday August 13th I took part in a panel discussion on art and biotechnology at the 2016 Article Biennial, Stavanger, as part of the event "New Eden? Where is biotechnology taking us, and how can art explore this?" (cf. previous posts). About 20 people were present. My co-panelists were Hanne Røland Hagland (Assoc. Prof. and leader, Centre for Organelle Research, UiS) and Kristin Aaser Lunde (PhD fellow, Stavanger University Hospital) and the featured artists Jalila Essaïdi, George Gessert and Joe Davis. The panel was chaired by co-curator Nora S. Vaage.

Guri Larsen lecture referred to in Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance newsletter

Minding Animals Norway´s video recording of Guri Larsen´s lecture at the 4th Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference, which was about cow-calf relations in milk production, is mentioned and linked to in the newsletter of Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance (Dyrevernalliansen), Dyrevern Viten #14/2016. See the full video here.

11th newsletter of Minding Animals Norway

Last week I composed and distributed the 11th newsletter of Minding Animals Norway, to its ca. 60 members. 5pp.

Information on Ex.Phil. given to child welfare, social work students

Today, at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies, as the course coordinator of Examen Philosophicum for students in social work and child welfare, I have taken part in opening events of both educations, introducing the plans for the introductory philosophy course. I talked 25 minutes for child welfare students and 15 minutes for social work students.

Teaching plan and seminar time schedule composed

Yesterday I composed teaching plan and seminar time schedule for Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies, for students in social work and child welfare.

Thematical outline of theology-oriented world population lecture

Yesterday I composed a 1-page thematic outline of a prospective lecture on world population developments which I have offered, upon suggestion, to give at a local theological seminar in Kristiansand.

Reference to "Umwelt ethics" article in Cobley chapter on ethics

I am mentioned in the abstract of Paul Cobley´s chapter "Ethics cannot be voluntary", which is part of his book Cultural Implications of Biosemiotics (Biosemiotics 15; Springer 2016). 

Excerpt:

[A]nalyses of the ontology of ethics in biosemiotics have been somewhat circumvented. Instead, articles on ethics in biosemiotics have tended to immediately jump to discussions of ethical and moral questions that might be approached in a biosemiotic frame, such as the value accorded to different inhabitants of the biosphere (Tønnessen 2003; Beever 2012).

Tønnessen 2003 is referenced as

Tønnessen M. Umwelt ethics. Sign Syst Stud. 2003;31(1):281–99.

Biosemiotics 9(2) to be a regular issue

Biosemiotics 9(2) has been sent to production, and will soon appear in print. We changed plans so that this issue will be a regular issue rather than a special issue, due to some delays related to the upcoming special issue.

The Table of contents of issue 2, 2016 is available online.

Popular science summary of field work findings to appear late autumn

Since the research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis" has been prolonged from April 30th to December 31st, the popular scientific summary of our field work including interviews will only be composed and made public late this autumn (not this Spring as originally planned). Today I communicated this fact to the interviewees.

Article on wolf discourse in Nationen November 2015

On November 16th 2015, the article "Fakta ikke nok i ulvesaken" [Facts are not enough in the wolf case] by science journalist Benedicte Pentz was published in the Norwegian daily newspaper Nationen, featuring an interview with me.

See also:

Dissemination article on perception of wolves on internal UiS webpage

"Facts not enough" dissemination article referred to in Jeger news story

and other posts

No Norwegian ecophilosophy volume in Avatud Eesti Raamat series

About a year go our application to publish a collection of Norwegian ecophilosophy in the  Estonian Avatud Eesti Raamat series was rejected. So that book will not materialize.

See also:

Another chapter by Sigmund Kvaløy Setreng selected for Estonian Norwegian ecophilosophy volume

Chapters selected for Avatud Eesti Raamat volume on Norwegian ecophilosophy

About section updated

I have updated the "about" ingress of this blog, Utopian Realism.

It formerly read:

UTOPISM. 

***

In the long run, nothing else is realistic.

***

Welcome to the English language blog of Morten Tønnessen, Associate professor at University of Stavanger's Department of Health Studies.

But now reads:

UTOPISM. 

***

In the long run, nothing else is realistic.

***

Welcome to the English language blog of Morten Tønnessen, Associate professor of philosophy at University of Stavanger's Department of Social Studies.

Exam questions composed for Dep. of health studies continuation exam

Yesterday I composed exam questions for the continuation exam in Examen Philosophicum atUniversity of Stavanger´s Department of health studies, for both the home exam (August 11-18) and the Multiple Choice exam (August 11).

Stepping down as 2nd deputy member of board of UiS

Since the Autumn of 2013, I have been 2nd deputy member of the board of the University of Stavanger (and Autumn 2012 to Spring 2013 I was permanent member of the board) representing temporarily employed education and research staff. Since I am starting August 1st 2016 permanently employed at University Stavanger, I will step down as 2nd deputy member of the University of Stavanger.

Program for Article Bienniale "New Eden?" panel now online

As mentioned previously (see below), I will take part in a panel discussion on art and biotechnology Saturday August 13th at the 2016 Article Bienniale, Stavanger, as part of the event "New Eden? Where is biotechnology taking us, and how can art explore this?". A program detailing names of participants, including mine, is now online.

See also:

To take part in panel discussion on biotechnology at Article Bienniale 2016

Final EMP151 time sheet submitted

Today I have submitted my final time sheet in the project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis". My 10% employment in that project concluded June 30th.

Wolves and sheep paper accepted for publication in PJHS

I have been informed by the editors of the Pakistan Journal of Historical Studies (Indiana University Press) that my contribution "A brief history of the cultural semiotic of wolves and sheep" has been accepted for publication, with minor revisions required.

13th world congress of semiotics to be held in Kaunas, Lithuania, 26-30 June 2017

The 13th World Congress of Semiotics will take place in Kaunas, Lithuania, on June 26-30th 2017, cf. the congress website. The abstract deadline is November 30th 2016, cf. Call For Papers.

Quite extraordinarily, arguing that it is the most inclusive diet plus referring to a moral argument, an all-vegan diet has been chosen for the congress, cf. FAQ.

The world congress´ convenor is zoosemiotician Dario Martinelli.

Train tickets and hotel reservation arranged

This week I have organized train tickets for most of this autumn (specifically the next three months), and hotel accommodation bookings for all autumn (until October, after which I can stay in our house). I will go on commuting from Kristiansand to Stavanger until the end of November, when we´ll move the house we have bought in Stavanger.

New work title for book on CCS; to be finished in one year

Today I have started on my new work routine for book projects, with, among other things, half a day´s concentrated work on an academic book each week. The academic book project for the next year is a politics-relevant book I have been doing research for since 2005. Today I changed its work title from «Utslippsfrie nye verden? Hva debatten om gasskraftverk sier om natursynet i norsk offentlighet» to «Utslippsfrie nye verden? Hva debatten om gasskraftverk sier om norsk natursyn» [Emission-free new world? What the debate about gas power plants says about Norwegian nature view].

Reference to human empire chapter in Vetlesen´s The Denial of Nature

My article

Tønnessen, Morten 2013. Menneskeveldet [The human empire]. In Sollund, Ragnhild, Morten Tønnessen og Guri Larsen (eds) 2013, Hvem er villest i landet her? Råskap mot dyr og natur i antropocen, menneskets tidsalder, Oslo: Spartacus Forlag/Scandinavian Academic Press, 37–56. 

is listed in the Bibliography of

Arne Johan Vetlesen 2015. The Denial of Nature. Environmental philosophy in the era of global capitalism. London and New York: Routledge.

However, I have not found any mention of my chapter in Vetlesen´s book text.

Editorial feedback to four monograph chapters

This Spring I have taken part in editing and giving editorial feedback to about four chapters of the forthcoming collective monograph Animal Umwelts in a changing world – Semiotic studies of human-animal relations (edited by Timo Maran, Silver Rattasepp and me).

Peer review for Otherness: Essays and Studies

This year I have conducted a peer-review for the journal Otherness: Essays and Studies.

New book title for cognitive semiotics volume

My chapter "Agency in biosemiotics and enactivism", a contribution to a book formerly entitled Establishing Cognitive Semiotics, will still appear by the end of the year, editors inform. The title of the book, to be published by Peter Lang, has now been changed to Meaning, mind and communication: Explorations in cognitive semiotics.

Top skills - LinkedIn endorsements

These, according to endorsements by LinkedIn connections (I have 360 connections as of time of writing, see my profile), are my top skills.

Permanently employed

From today onwards I am permanently employed as Associate professor of philosophy at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. I have been temporarily employed at UiS since January 2012.

Interview on wolves in Fædrelandsvennen weekly magazine

Saturday July 30th, an interview with me on people´s ideas about wolves featured in a long story (7 pp. including other interviews) on wolves published in the weekend magazine of Norwegian regional daily newspaper Fædrelandsvennen.

Book review of Vetlesen´s The Denial of Nature written

Today I finished a book review of Arne Johan Vetlesen´s The Denial of Nature: Environmental philosophy in the era of global capitalism (Rutledge 2015), for the journal Environmental Philosophy.