#32; 5.709 words written logged in March

Today I have had a writing day, #32 this Spring, with some 500 words added to my article "The study of past Umwelten". Altogether this month I have logged 5.709 words written, with the year total standing at 17.908 words to date.

Google scholar: 902 citations; updated Google scholar history

According to my Google Scholar profile, my research has now attracted a total of 902 citations (+16 since March 15th). This includes 45 citations to date in 2023 (+14 since March 15h). My i10-index remains 34 and my h-index 17.

Updated Google Scholar history (cf. my December 2022 post):  

My first Google Scholar citation occurred in 2002.

By April 2013 I had 38 citations, and a verified Google Scholar profile.  

I passed 100 citations in the winter of 2016.  

I passed 200 citations in the summer of 2017.  

I passed 300 citations in the summer of 2018.  

I passed 400 citations in the autumn of 2019.  

I passed 500 citations in the spring of 2021.  

I passed 600 citations in the autumn of 2021.  

I passed 700 citations in the winter of 2022.  

I passed 800 citations in the autumn of 2022.

I passed 900 citations in the spring of 2023.

#31

Today I have had half a writing day, with some 100 words added to my article "The study of past Umwelten".

"Existential universals" chapter now available via ResearchGate

My chapter "Existential universals: Biosemiosis and existential semiosis" has been published by De Gruyter Mouton as part of Eero Tarasti´s book Transcending signs - Essays in existential semiotics. I have now uploaded a private copy of the chapter to my ResearchGate profile, so that I can more easily share it if scholars request a copy. Feel free to do so.

#30,5

Today I have had a writing day - #30,5 this Spring - with some 500 words added to my article "The study of past Umwelten".

Peer reviews

I have recently (this year) done peer reviews for Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, and for Sign Systems Studies.

#29,5

Today I have had half a writing day, devoted to our article on Arne Næss and his views on economics. Total number of writing days this spring is up to 29,5.

Chronicle on so-called pest species published in print edition of Nationen

The chronicle "Burde vi behandle skadedyr bedre"? is today published in the print edition of the Norwegian national daily newspaper Nationen.

See also:

Chronicle in Nationen on so-called pest species

#29

Today I have had a writing day, the 29th this Spring, with some 500 words added to my article "The study of past Umwelten".

#28

Today I have had a writing day with work done on four different writing projects - revision of my article "The study of past Umwelten", the reprint of my journal article "Existential universals" as a book chapter, the book chapter "A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis" (figure reuse permission issues), and a journal article in process on refugee issues for which I am a co-author.

"Transcending signs" book published, updated reference for "Existential universals" chapter

According to information from the publisher, De Gruyter Mouton, the book Transcending Signs: Essays in Existential Semiotics has now been published, with my chapter on "Existential universals" included.

Updated reference: 

Tønnessen, Morten 2023. Existential universals: Biosemiosis and existential semiosis. Reprint of Tønnessen 2017 (Chinese Semiotic Studies 13(4): 381–398). In Eero Tarasti (ed.), Transcending Signs – Essays in Existential Semiotics (Semiotics, Communication and Cognition 35) pp. 327–342. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110789164-020

Presentation "Wasted growth?" given for Human Development Report Office

Today I have given the talk "Wasted growth?" in the research seminar of the Human Development Report Office (UNDP) in New York, via Zoom, with some 13 people attending.

Abstract for 23rd Gathering in Biosemiotics: "A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis"

I have submitted the abstract below to the organizers of the 23rd gathering in Biosemiotics, which is to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 31st - August 4th. 

***

A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis   

Morten Tønnessen

Professor of philosophy, University of Stavanger, Norway   

ABSTRACT 

In this presentation I will present the book chapter “A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis” (Tønnessen, forthcoming). The chapter presents a biosemiotic perspective on the basic situation for human beings and that of other organisms, with an emphasis on the subjective experience of sentient animals, and the sign use of all lifeforms. The human condition is portrayed as traditionally conceived, and then revisited in the new context of the current environmental crisis. In recent decades, the expression ‘The Human Condition’ has been strongly associated with the political philosopher Hannah Arendt (1906–1975). In her book with the same name (Arendt 1958), she stresses that “[t]he earth is the very quintessence of the human condition”, and yet argues that “the “human artifice of the world separates human existence from all mere animal environment”. In this sense, in her view, human reality is distinguished from the reality of any other living being on Earth, despite our shared ecological circumstances. A cornerstone of the chapter is an analysis of the materiality of the environmental crisis, and how the massive changes humans have caused in the physical environment can be understood in light of the semiotic agency of humans and other living beings. Experiential aspects of the environmental crisis are highlighted. The aim of the chapter is to improve our understanding of our species´ place in the natural world, our historical role in causing a global crisis for life, and how we can move forward towards a more sustainable future. As Masatake Shinohara (2020) has proposed, “what conditions human beings in the most fundamental sense includes not only the world of the human artifact but also the world of earthly things”, and in light of this, “the consideration of the human condition should be fundamentally reformulated” by making the human world “open to the earthly things that vastly expand outside of the human artifice”.

REFERENCES 

Arendt, Hannah (1958). The Human Condition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 

Shinohara, Masatake (2020). “Rethinking the Human Condition in the Ecological Collapse”. The New Centennial Review 20(2): 177–203. 

Tønnessen, Morten, forthcoming. A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis. In Lenart Škof, Sashinungla, Sigridur Thorgeirsdottir (eds.), Elemental-Embodied Thinking for a New Era (Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures). Springer.

#27

Today I have had half a writing day devoted to working with my wasted growth / wasted GDP articles and our article on Arne Næss´ views on economics.

Chronicle in Nationen on so-called pest species

Today the chronicle "Burde vi behandle skadedyr bedre?", written by me and Knut Bøe on behalf of Norway´s Council for animal ethics, has been published online in the Norwegian national daily newspaper Nationen. The chronicle is based on a recent consultative statement that I co-authored.

#26,5 - chapter "A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis" finished

Today I have had a writing day, with some 2.300 words added to my chapter "A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis", which I have now finished, and submitted to the anthology editors. 

This is the most productive writing day so far this Spring by words written. Number of writing days this Spring is up to 26,5.

***

Abstract:

This chapter presents a biosemiotic perspective on the basic situation for human beings and that of other organisms, with an emphasis on the subjective experience of sentient animals, and the sign use of all lifeforms. The human condition is portrayed as traditionally conceived, and then revisited in the new context of the current environmental crisis. A cornerstone of the text is an analysis of the materiality of the environmental crisis, and how the massive changes humans have caused in the physical environment can be understood in light of the semiotic agency of humans and other living beings. Experiential aspects of the environmental crisis are highlighted. The aim of the text is to improve our understanding of our species´ place in the natural world, our historical role in causing a global crisis for life, and how we can move forward towards a more sustainable future. 

#25,5

Today I have had half a writing day, with a meeting attended on an article on refugee issues and human rights, and some 300 words added to my chapter "A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis". I am also pondering a new co-written wolf-article.

Seminar given; exam task presented

Today I gave a seminar, the second in my ethics teaching in "Lovgivning og etikk" (BPS330), which concluded my teaching in this course. I ended by presenting an exam task.

#25

Today I have had what ended up as half a writing day, with some 200 words added to my chapter "A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis".

Google Scholar: 886 citations; "The ethics of laying hen genetics" now 5th most cited paper

According to Google Scholar (cf. my profile) my research has to date attracted 886 citations (+23 since February 3rd). This includes 31 citations so far in 2023 (+11 since February 3rd). 2022 now stands with 174 (+7 since February 2nd) and 2021 with 148 (+5). My h-index remains 17 and my i10-index 34. 

"The ethics of laying hen genetics", co-written with Mia Fernyhough, Christine Nicol, Teun van de Braak and Michael Toscano, is now my 5th most cited paper, with 37 citations since its publication in 2019, including 18 last year and 2 so far this year. With around 11.000 accesses, it is also probably my most read paper.

Fourth lecture in ethics

Today I gave the fourth lecture in ethics in the course "Lovgivning og etikk" (BPS330). 

Third lecture in ethics

Today I have given the third ethics lecture in the course "Lovgivning og etikk" (BPS330).

6 hours of teaching on ethics

Today, after 4 years without teaching, I have touch for 6 hours (2 lectures and 1 seminar) in the course "Lovgivning og etikk" (Law and ethics), which is part of the bachelor in psychology at University of Stavanger. Some 25 students attended at the most.

"Contemporary Umwelt Analysis" plenary talk scheduled for presentation on April 19th

My plenary talk for the conference “Contemporary Umwelt Analysis: Applications for Culture and Ecological Relations”, to be held April 18-19th at Estonian Naturalists’ Society in Tartu, Estonia (organized by Department of semiotics at University of Tartu), titled “A Comprehensive Framework for Studies of Changing Umwelten”, has been scheduled for presentation Wednesday April 19th at 11.00-12.00 local time.

The conference program is now available at the conference website.

"Phenomenological triangulation" paper presented at "After Nagel" colloquium in Nijmegen

Today I have presented my paper "Phenomenological Triangulation in the Study of Animals as Subjects of Phenomenology – Perspectives from Cognitive semiotics and Biosemiotics" at the colloquium «After Nagel: Science and the phenomenology of animals subjects”, held at Radboud university, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, March 6-7th. Some 25 people attended altogether (physically or digitally).

#24,5

Yesterday I had half a writing day, with some 300 words added to my chapter "A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis".

#24

Today I have had a writing day, #24 this Spring, with some 1000 words added to my chapter "A biosemiotic perspective on the human condition and the environmental crisis".

First elements of "Wonderful world" festival program released

The philosophy and science festival "Wonderful world", to be held in Stavanger June 1-4th, has released the first elements of its program. I am in the editorial board of the festival.

Paper "Wasted GDP in the USA" accepted for presentation at ISQOLS 2023

I have been notified by the conference organizers that my paper "Wasted GDP in the USA" has been accepted for presentation at the 21st annual conference of the International Society for Quality of Life Studies (21st-25th August, Rotterdam, The Netherlands).