Master thesis grading - master in social studies

I have recently taken part in the grading of a master thesis in the University of Stavanger´s master in social studies.

Opening day of master in social studies attended; theory of science course presented

On Monday August 17th I attended part of the opening day for the University of Stavanger´s master in social studies (MSO), and briefly presented the course Theory of science (MSO120), for which I am course coordinator this Autumn semester.

Second Ex.phil. lecture

Today I have given the second lecture this semester in Ex.phil. at the University of Stavanger´s Department of psychology (SVEXPHIL-IP) for bachelor and one-year students in psychology. The topic was epistemology and introduction to critical thinking.

#11

Today I have had a book writing day, with work done in relation to the page proofs of my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic, Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism. This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 11 including 6,5 book writing days.

#10

Today I have had half a book writing day, with work done in relation to the page proofs of my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic, Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which I received yesterday from Integra.

This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 10 including 5,5 book writing days.

"CONTRADICTionary: An Almanac of Resistance" published, with two entries written by me

Today I was notified that the book CONTRADICTionary: An Almanac of Resistance has now been published by Open Humanities Press. The book is for sale but also freely available for download (Open Access). I have written two of the entries. The starting point for the book are the terms the Trump administration tried to "ban". Each of those terms has an entry in this book.

References:

— Tønnessen, Morten 2026. Environmental quality. P 84–85 in CONTRADICTionary: An Almanac of Resistance (eds. Bernd Herzogenrath and Nicol A. Barria-Asenjo). Open Humanities Press. ISBN: 978-1-78542-171-6.

— Tønnessen, Morten 2026. Pollution. P 163–164 in CONTRADICTionary: An Almanac of Resistance (eds. Bernd Herzogenrath and Nicol A. Barria-Asenjo). Open Humanities Press. ISBN: 978-1-78542-171-6.

First Ex.phil. lecture this Autumn; responsibilities this Autumn semester

Today I have given the first lecture this semester in Ex.phil. at the University of Stavanger´s Department of psychology (SVEXPHIL-IP). The topic, besides course information, was epistemology. Some 60-70 students attended.

My work in Ex.phil. this Autumn is partly on my regular work plan (at Department of social studies) and partly overtime work. I am responsible for half the teaching, half the grading, and all assessment of a compulsory assignment, in addition to being course coordinator.

Google scholar: 1660 citations; i10-index now 48

According to my Google Scholar profile my research has to date attracted a total of 1.660 citations (+13 since July 31st). This includes 96 citations so far in 2026 (+11 since July 31st). My h-index remains 22 while my i10-index is now 48 (+1 since July 31st).

My 48th text to reach 10 citations appears to be "Introduction to the Special Issue Semiotics of Perception Being in the World of the Living—Semiotic Perspectives", co-written with Kati Lindström (2010). 

Lectures, seminar given in Theory of science MA course

Today I have taught, for the first time, in the master course Theory of science (MSO120), which is offered by the University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. The topic was introduction to philosophy of science and theory of science, and the teaching included 3 hours of lectures and a one hour seminar. Some 17 students attended.

This Autumn semester I am course coordinator (i.e., "emneansvarlig") for two courses, namely the abovementioned course Theory of science as well as Examen Philosophicum (Ex.Phil.) at Department of psychology.

Comments and questions raised in online COEVOLVERS symposium "The significance of semiotics in NBS co-creation"

Today I have featured as commentator in the online symposium "The significance of semiotics in NBS co-creation", which was organised by the ERC-funded research project "Coevolutionary approach to unlock the transformative potential of nature-based solutions for more inclusive and resilient communities (COEVOLVERS)". I commented on presentations by Juha Hiedanpää, Beáta Pántya and Lona Päll, while Riin Magnus chaired the event. About 30 people attended.

See also:

To feature as commentator at COEVOLVERS Nature Based Solutions symposium August 27th

#9,5

Today I have had an article writing day, with writing work started on the journal article "Climate imaginaries and the contested future of economic growth", which I intend to submit to a special issue of Applied Research in Quality of Life. The article draws on my recent conference presentation with the same title at the 24th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS 2026), «Beyond the Bluegrass: Harnessing Research to Enhance Quality of life», which as held at the University of Kentucky. In the process I added some 1.100 words to the manuscript.

This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 9,5 including 4,5 article writing days. 

#8,5; writing plan for Autumn 2026

Today I have had an article writing day which I have mostly used for planning. I completed the writing plan for Autumn 2026, which amounts to 13 book writing days and 17 article writing days, and altogether 30 writing days. This is not so much altogether (in comparison, I first planned for 45,5 writing days Autumn 2024), and involves less time for article writing days than I originally hoped for. That is partly because I am working overtime this Autumn with extra course coordinator, teaching and grading duties, and partly because contributing to the production process for my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic, Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, takes more time than I first planned for (as it turned out during checking of copy-edited files). I have adjusted article writing plans for this Autumn accordingly.

I also did a little work related to an article in process on a culturally sensitive Human Development Index (CSHDI) which I am co-authoring.

This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 8,5 including 3,5 article writing days.

Featured here and there in ISQOLS 2026 video and conference summary

The International Society for Quality-of-life Studies (ISQOLS) has released a brief video summarising its 2026 conference, which took place in Lexington, Kentucky earlier in August. Below are some screenshots from the video involving me.

I am also featured in some photos in ISQOLS´ conference summary online, as well as in a photo album shared among conference participants. 

Peer-review for Lexia

I recently did a peer-review for Lexia - Rivista di semiotica / Journal of semiotics.

To feature as commentator at COEVOLVERS Nature Based Solutions symposium August 27th

On August 27th I will take part as a commentator in the online symposium "The significance of semiotics in NBS co-creation", which is held by researchers involved in the ERC-funded research project "Coevolutionary approach to unlock the transformative potential of nature-based solutions for more inclusive and resilient communities (COEVOLVERS)". 

The symposium, which takes place 1-3 p.m. CET, features the following three presentations, with comments/questions from me:

• Juha Hiedanpää – Co-creating multispecies significance: Some lessons for spatial planning and decision-making 
• Beáta Pántya – Art-based Multisensory Methods for Healing Garden Co-Design 
• Lona Päll – How to Discover Interspecies Relations with Semiotic Methods?

To register, see the event webpage.

#7,5

Today I have had half a book writing day, with work done related to finishing organising my response to the copy-editing of the manuscript of my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic, Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, and submitting it. This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 7,5 including 5 book writing days.

#7

Today I have had a book writing day, with work done related to copy-editing of the manuscript of my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic, Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism. This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 7 including 4,5 book writing days.

#6

Over the course of the last several days (specifically Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and today Sunday) I have conducted what altogether amounts to a book writing day, with work done related to copy-editing of the manuscript of my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic, Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism. This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 6 including 3,5 book writing days.

HDI/UNDP paper presented at ISQOLS 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky

Today, at the 24th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS 2026), «Beyond the Bluegrass: Harnessing Research to Enhance Quality of life», which is held at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky (USA) August 11–14th, I have presented my paper «Alternative HDI thresholds for maximum income demonstrate significance for policy advice» as part of Session 7A «Well-being policy and measurement». Some 11 people attended. The session was chaired by Joseph Sirgy.

Economic growth in climate imaginaries paper presented at ISQOLS 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky

Today, at the 24th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS 2026), «Beyond the Bluegrass: Harnessing Research to Enhance Quality of life», which is held at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky (USA) August 11–14th, I have presented my paper «Climate imaginaries and the contested future of economic growth» as part of Session 4E «Ecological sustainability, agriculture, and wellbeing». Some 11 people attended. The session was chaired by Jane Kolodinsky.

#5

Over the course of yesterday and today, I have had half a book writing day, with work done related to copy-editing of the manuscript of my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic, Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism. This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 5 including 2,5 book writing days.

Pre-conference workshop and horse farm tour attended in Lexington, Kentucky (USA)

I arrived in Lexington, Kentucky, late on Sunday August 9th. On Monday (i.e. yesterday) I attended the pre-conference workshop «A “Walkthrough” of Public US Wellbeing Datasets», with instructors Harry Brisson and Robert Moore, both representing the NGO Gross National Happiness USA (GNHUSA), along with about ten others. Today I have attended a Half-Day Thoroughbred Horse Farm Tour in Kentucky, along with about 15 others.

Over the next three days I will be attending the 24th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS 2026), with the theme «Beyond the Bluegrass: Harnessing Research to Enhance Quality of life». The conference venue is University of Kentucky´s Gatton Student Center, in Lexington, Kentucky.

See also:

ISQOLS 2026 papers scheduled for presentation in Lexington, Kentucky August 13th and 14th

#4,5

Yesterday, on my travels over the Atlantic, I had half a book writing day, with work done related to copy-editing of the manuscript of my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic, Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism. This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 4,5 including 2 book writing days.

"Ecological semiotics" now paginated and published as part of 3rd edition of Encyclopedia of Ecology

I have received my author copy of my chapter "Ecological semiotics" which has now, two years after first being published, appeared as part of the 3rd edition of Elsevier´s Encyclopedia of Ecology.

Previous reference:

— Tønnessen, Morten 2024. Ecological semiotics. Chapter. Encyclopedia of Ecology (3rd edition) (Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences). Elsevier. 9 pp. Planned publication for encyclopedia volumes 2026 . Abstract online October 19th 2024; chapter published November 21st 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-21964-1.00018-5.    

New reference:

— Tønnessen, Morten 2026. Ecological Semiotics. In: Brian D. Fath (ed.) Encyclopedia of Ecology, 3rd Edition (Hardback ISBN: 9780443219641; eBook ISBN: 9780443219658), vol. 4, pp. 243–251. US: Elsevier. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-21964-1.00018-5

#4

Today I have had a book writing day, with work done related to copy-editing of the manuscript of my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism. This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 4 including 1,5 book writing days.

#3; book review "A primer on ecosemiotics and animal welfare" finished and submitted

Today I have had an article writing day, with some 1.200 words added to my book review of Interpreting, Communication and Animal Welfare by Xany Jansen van Vuuren for Biosemiotics in the process of finishing and submitting it. My review is titled "A primer on ecosemiotics and animal welfare". This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 3 including 2,5 article writing days.

Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism now featured online and available for pre-order

Information from Bloomsbury Academic about my forthcoming book Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism has now appeared online. Info includes book summary, Table of Contents, and a blurb by Peder Anker.

#2

Today I have had half a book writing day, with some planning made for the production process for my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism. I also received copy-edited files and information about the production process from the book´s project manager at Integra Software Services, a company based in India which Bloomsbury Academic uses for producing my book. 

Moreover, I had half an article writing day, with some 400 words added to my book review of Interpreting, Communication and Animal Welfare for Biosemiotics. 

This brings the number of writing days this Autumn up to 2 including 1,5 article writing days and 0,5 book writing days.

Google scholar: 1647 citations; three most cited recent publications

According to my Google Scholar profile my research has to date attracted a total of 1.647 citations (+16 since June 30th). This includes 85 citations so far in 2026 (+12 since June 30th). My h-index remains 22 and my i10-index 47. 

Among texts published 2022 or later (not counting the book Semiotic Agency: Science beyond Mechanism, co-written with Alexei Sharov, which appeared in 2022 but has 2021 as official publication year - and which has been cited 15 times so far this year alone), my most cited texts are:

Wasted GDP in the USA (2023): 14

Recreation in the outdoors—exploring the friluftsliv experience of adolescents at residential care (with Joakim Jiri Haaland, 2022): 14

The evolutionary origin (s) of the Umwelt (2022): 12

Editorial board meeting of Biosemiotics attended in Sheffield

Today, during the fourth day of the 26th Gathering in biosemiotics, in Sheffield, UK, I attended the annual editorial board meeting of Biosemiotics.

#1; environmental semiotics chapter revised

Over the last four days I have completed what amounts to an article writing day, the first in the Autumn semester. In the process of taking part in revising the book chapter "Environmental Semiotics", which I co-write with Jonathan Beever, I added some 800 words to the manuscript (we also shortened the title). Moreover, I also composed five bullet points concerning practical implications related to the article "Friluftsliv in Therapeutic Residential Care: When Staff Take Youth Out to Find a Way In", which I co-write with Joakim Jiri Haaland and which has since been published (cf. separate post).

"Friluftsliv in therapeutic residential care" article published in Residential Treatment for Children & Youth

The article "Friluftsliv in therapeutic residential care: Taking adolescents out to find a way in", which I have co-written as second author, has now been published. This is Joakim´s third article in his ph.d. thesis work, and the second article on use of friluftsliv in residential care (child protection) I have co-authored. The article is Open Access. 

Reference:

— Joakim Jiri Haaland and Morten Tønnessen 2026. Friluftsliv in therapeutic residential care: Taking adolescents out to find a way in. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth. Published online July 29th 2026. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2026.2707082 

My 10 most read Springer Nature articles; "Wasted GDP in the USA" read 20.000+ times

According to Springer Nature, these are my most accessed Springer articles (prior rank refers to March 2025 list; as does prior number of accesses):  

1 (2). Wasted GDP in the USA (Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2023) 20.228 (14.297) 

2 (1). The Ethics of Laying Hen Genetics (Mia Fernyhough et al., Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 2019) 18.088 (14.986)  

3 (3). Umwelt Transitions: Uexküll and Environmental Change (Biosemiotics, 2009) 7.557 (6.175)    

4 (4). Phenomenology and Biosemiotics (Morten Tønnessen, Timo Maran & Alexei Sharov, Biosemiotics, 2018) 7.001 (5.675)    

5 (5). Jesper Hoffmeyer’s Biosemiotic Legacy (Morten Tønnessen, Alexei Sharov & Timo Maran, Biosemiotics, 2019) 4.890 (3.789)    

6 (6). Current Human Ecology in the Amazon and beyond: a Multi-Scale Ecosemiotic Approach (Biosemiotics, 2020) 4.782 (3.673)   

7 (7). Towards Synthesis of Biology and Semiotics (Alexei Sharov, Timo Maran & Morten Tønnessen, Biosemiotics, 2015) 3.891 (3.022)

8 (9). Comprehending the Semiosis of Evolution (Alexei Sharov, Timo Maran & Morten Tønnessen, Biosemiotics, 2016) 3.602 (2.892) 

9 (-) Introduction to the special issue "Umwelt theory and phenomenology" (Carlo Brentari & Morten Tønnessen, Biosemiotics, 2024) 3.589

10 (8). Biosemiotic Achievement Award for the Year 2020 (Claudio Julio Rodríguez Higuera & Morten Tønnessen, Biosemiotics, 2021) 3.383 (2.908) 

"Making the Umwelt Bubble of the Modern Synthesis Burst" (Biosemiotics, 2021), with its 3.112 accesses (2.552), is thus out of the list, while "The evolutionary origin(s) of the Umwelt" (Biosemiotics, 2022), with 3.344 accesses, did not quite make the top 10. Altogether Springer Nature lists 24 publications of mine with a total of ca. 94.700 accesses and some 281 registered citations. The top 10 accounts for 76.536 accesses.

See also:

My 10 most read Springer Nature articles; ca. 60.000 accesses in total (March 2025)

"My 10 most accessed articles with Springer Nature; ca. 44.000 accesses combined" (November 2023)

Paper «Life in Earth – a new look at the nature of life» presented at GiB26 in Sheffield, UK

Today, at the first day of the 26th Gathering in biosemiotics, which is held at the University of Sheffield, in Sheffield, UK July 27th to 31st, I have presented my paper «Life in Earth – a new look at the nature of life» as part of the session «Ecological biosemiotics», which was chaired by Sara Cannizzaro. The presentation took place in the building The Wave and was attended by about 40 people.

Second co-authored friluftsliv article accepted for journal publication

I have been notified that the article "Friluftsliv in therapeutic residential care: Taking adolescents out to find a way in", which I have co-authored with Joakim Jiri Haaland, has been accepted for publication.

Preliminary reference:

Joakim Jiri Haaland and Morten Tønnessen, forthcoming. Friluftsliv in therapeutic residential care: Taking adolescents out to find a way in. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth.

Ethics of CCS paper rejected for NEEN26 event

I have been notified that my paper submitted to NEEN26, the NEEN & ISEE Conference on Environmental Ethics which is to be held at Umeå University, Sweden, October 14-16th, titled "The ethical case against Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)", has been rejected by the organisers. 

This is the second or third time I have had a paper on this theme rejected. For some reason, the ethics of CCS seems to be anathema.

See also:

CCS paper submitted to NEEN26 conference

ISQOLS 2026 papers scheduled for presentation in Lexington, Kentucky August 13th and 14th

I have now retrieved information about the scheduled presentation times (see the conference program) for my two accepted papers at the 24th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS 2026, «Beyond the Bluegrass: Harnessing Research to Enhance Quality of life», which is to be held at University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky (USA) August 11–14th:

— On Thursday August 13th I will present my paper «Climate imaginaries and the contested future of economic growth» as part of Session 4E «Ecological sustainability, agriculture, and wellbeing» (Gatton Ballroom A at 09.00–10.30)

— On Friday August 14th I will present my paper «Alternative HDI thresholds for maximum income demonstrate significance for policy advice» as part of Session 7A «Well-being policy and measurement» (room 330A at 10:30–12:00)

Book "Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism" planned published in February 2027

I have been informed by Bloomsbury Academic that the planned publication date for my forthcoming book Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism is February 18th 2027. This is slightly more than 18 months after I submitted the full book manuscript in early August 2025 (I made revisions in May and June this year).

#62

Today I have had an article writing day, with some 2900 words added to the manuscript while finishing (and then submitting) my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life". This brings the number of writing days this Spring up to 62 including 35,5 article writing days.

This was the most productive writing day this Spring in terms of words written (not coincidentally, today was also my longest workday this Spring - before my summer vacation which starts tomorrow). Altogether I logged 15.864 words written in June, over 18,5 writing days (the most any month this Spring). This Spring I logged a total of 29.942 words written, which is more than any Spring since 2019 except 2020 and 2025.

Google scholar: 1631 citations; i10-index of 47

According to my Google Scholar profile my research has to date attracted a total of 1.631 citations (+19 since May 28th). This includes 73 citations so far in 2026 (+9 since May 28th). My h-index remains 22 while my i10-index is now 47 (+1 since May 28th). My i10-index means that 47 of my texts have at least 10 citations each.

My latest articles/chapters to reach 10 citations are:

"Agency in biosemiotics and enactivism" (2016)

"Outline of an Uexküllian bio-ontology" (2001) - my very first scientific article

#61

Today I have had an article writing day, with some 1000 words added to my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life". This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 61 including 34,5 article writing days.

#60

Today I have had half an article writing day, with some 600 words added to my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life". This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 60 including 33,5 article writing days.

#59,5

Today I have had what, after some rescheduling of writing days and hollidays, ended up as half an article writing day, with some 300 words added to my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life". This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 59,5 including 33 article writing days.

Reviews done for Biennial Meeting of the Polish Association for CogSci, «Making Sense of Meaning-making»

I have today conducted peer-review of 6 abstracts submitted to the Biennial Meeting of the Polish Association for CogSci, «Making Sense of Meaning-making», aka XV Zjazd Polskiego Towarzystwa Kognitywistycznego 2026 (PTK26), which is to be held in Lublin, Poland, September 21-23rd, in my capacity as a member of the scientific committee.

#59

Today I have had an article writing day, with some 900 words added to my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life". This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 59 including 32,5 article writing days.

#58

Today I have had half an article writing day, with some 500 words added to my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life". This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 58 including 31,5 article writing days.

#57,5

Today I have had a writing day which ended up as half a book writing day and half an article writing day. The first half was devoted to responding to queries from Bloomsbury Academic concerning my forthcoming scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, and making corresponding changes in the manuscript and concerning some of the book´s figures. 

The other half was devoted to working on my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life", with some 100 words to the manuscript, as well as related to Live Better articles.

This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 57,5 including 31 article writing days and 26,5 book writing days.

Three Wonderful World events attended on stage Thursday May 28th

During Wonderful World - Den nordiske festivalen  for filosofi & vitenskap (Wonderful World - the Nordic festival for philosophy and science), which was held May 27-30th this Spring, I took part in three events on thursday May 28th, two of which were scheduled in advance:

I took part as a panelist, with Melanie Challenger, in the event «Returning to animal – the true human condition», which was attended by about 75 people

I chaired the panel «Å begripe dyp tid» (Comprehending deep time), featuring Bjørn Lindberg, Helge Jordheim and Dagmar Hagen. This event was attended by about 130 people.

In the evening, I was also invited to be a panelist during «Wonderful nachspiel», along with Ole Martin Moen and Gunstein Skomedal and chaired by Torkild Jemterud. This somewhat more spontaneous panel was attended by about 30 people.

See also:

Ethics event chaired at Wonderful World festival; attended by 100+

Interview in Wonderful World festival magazine - on world´s most important idea

In May, an interview with me appeared in the festival magazine of the Wonderful World festival, in the column «Fem filosofer på festival» (Five philosophers at the festival). The interview was done by Kristoffer Hatteland Endresen, who raised the question (in Norwegian): What is the most important idea that we should be familiar with to understand the world in 2026?

Wonderful World 2027 to be held June 2-5th, 2027

The next round of Wonderful World - Den nordiske festivalen  for filosofi & vitenskap (Wonderful World - the Nordic festival for philosophy and science) will take place in Stavanger June 2-5th. This will be the fifth time the festival is arranged. I am a member of the festival´s program council.

Collaborative peer-review conducted for Royal Society Open Science

This Spring I have conducted a peer-review for Royal Society Open Science in collaboration with a colleague.

Dialogue meeting on regulatory development on animal welfare in aquaculture attended

On Monday June 8th I attended a so-called dialogue meeting with Mattilsynet (Norwegian Food Safety Authority) on behalf of Norway´s Council for animal ethics concerning regulatory development for animal welfare in aquaculture (this was the second such meeting on this theme I have attended this Spring).

Wonderful World evaluation meeting, department summer party attended

Last Friday I took part in an evaluation meeting in the program council for the Wonderful World festival, at Måltidets hus. I also took part in the summer party of University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies.

#56,5

Today I have had half an article writing day devoted to my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life", with some 450 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 56,5 including 30,5 article writing days.

#56

Today I have had half an article writing day devoted to my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life", which will appear in the book Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence, Semiotic Perspectives on the Emergence of Meaning (Palgrave Macmillan). In the process I added some 300 words to the manuscript. Moreover, I received good news concerning a Live Better article I am involved with (see link below).

This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 56 including 30 article writing days.

See also:

My fourth Live Better article forthcoming

My fourth Live Better article forthcoming

I have been notified that another article emerging from the LIve Better research consortium, featuring me as a co-author based on data collection in Norway, has been accepted for publication and is forthcoming in Emotion.  

Preliminary reference:

— forthcoming, Maciej Górski et al. Cultural Variability In The Link Between Affect And Meaning In Life: Evidence From 69 Countries. Emotion.

«Life in Earth – a new look at the nature of life» sheduled for presentation July 27th in Sheffield at GiB26

My paper «Life in Earth – a new look at the nature of life» has been scheduled for oral presentation at the 26th Gathering in biosemiotics, which is to be held July 27–31st at the University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK, on Monday July 27th at 14.30–15.00 as part of the session «Ecological biosemiotics».

#55,5

Today I have had what ended up as another full book writing day devoted to finishing and submitting the revision of the manuscript for my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. In the process I added some 1.200 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 55,5 writing days including 26 book writing days.

#54,5

Today I have had a book writing day devoted to ALMOST finishing the revision of the manuscript for my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. In the process I added some 1.100 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 54,5 including 25 book writing days.

#53,5

Today I have had half a book writing day devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. In the process I added some 400 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 53,5 including 24 book writing days.

#53

Today I have had half an article writing day devoted to "The rights and living conditions of unaccompanied minor migrants in the Schengen Area", which I co-write with Maren Sagvaag Retland. Moreover, I also communicated that I would like to join the core author team for a HDI-themed article emerging from the Live Better research consortium. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 53 including 29,5 article writing days.

#52,5

Today I have had half a book writing day devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. In the process I added some 150 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 52,5 including 23,5 book writing days.

#52

Today I have had half a book writing day devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. In the process I added some 300 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 52, including 23 book writing days.

#51,5

Today I have had a book writing day devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. In the process I added some 300 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 51,5, including 22,5 book writing days.

#50,5

Today I have had a book writing day devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. In the process I added some 200 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 50,5, including 21,5 book writing days.

Book launch held in Stavanger

Yesterday I took part in a book launch at Stavanger antikvariat for the book Philsophising with Rocks. Henrik Steffens and the Anthropocene, which includes my chapter "Steffens’ early outlook reconsidered-Nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene". The event featured music, and a panel with Benedikt Jager, me, and Terje Torkildsen, chaired by Jørg Arne Jørgensen. 19 people attended altogether.

#49,5

Today I have had a book writing day devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. In the process I added some 200 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 49,5, including 20,5 book writing days.

5 bachelor thesis graded

Yesterday I took part in finalising grading of five bachelor theses in social work (BSOBAC).

See also:

Bachelor supervision completed

#48,5

Today I have had what, after some rescheduling of writing plans, ended up as half a book writing day, devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. In the process I added some 200 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 48,5, including 19,5 book writing days.

#48

Today I have had a book writing day devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic, with about 500 words added to the manuscript in the process. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 48, including 19 book writing days.

#47

Today I have had half a book writing day devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 47, including 18 book writing days.

Book launch event for "Philsophising with Rocks. Henrik Steffens and the Anthropocene" in Stavanger June 10th

On Wednesday June 10th at 18 o'clock, I will take part in a book launch event which takes place at Stavanger Antikvariat, downtown Stavanger. The book Philsophising with Rocks. Henrik Steffens and the Anthropocene appeared earlier this Spring, and includes my chapter "Steffens’ early outlook reconsidered-Nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene".

At the book launch event, Jørg Arne Jørgensen (KåKå) will chair a conversation about the book with Benedikt Jager (editor), me, Morten Tønnessen (contributor) and Terje Torkildsen who has had a central role in highlighting the work of Steffens locally.

If you read this before the event takes place you can also check out the registration link.

At any time, you can check out this link which takes you to a page where you can download the book for free.

#46,5

Today, on my way back to Stavanger from Oslo, I have had an article writing day devoted to finishing my article "Prolegomena to lifeworld-oriented studies of contested climate pasts and futures", which I have now submitted to a special issue of Journal of Cognitive Historiography about "Cognition and Evolution in Historical and Social Research". In the process I added 2.058 words to the manuscript - making this the most productive writing day so far this year in terms of words written. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 46,5, including 29 article writing days.

Council for animal ethics meeting attended in Oslo

Today I have attended Council for animal ethics´ meeting in Oslo (at Næringslivets hus). This is one of four meetings this year, two of which are now physical (and two digital, due to an insufficient budget).

#45,5

Today I have had an article writing day devoted to my article "Prolegomena to lifeworld-oriented studies of contested climate pasts and futures", which is aimed for a special issue of Journal of Cognitive Historiography about "Cognition and Evolution in Historical and Social Research", with some 1500 words added to the manuscript - making this the most productive writing day so far this year in terms of words written. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 45,5, including 28 article writing days.

#44,5

Today I have had an article writing day devoted to my article "Prolegomena to lifeworld-oriented studies of contested climate pasts and futures", which is aimed for a special issue of Journal of Cognitive Historiography about "Cognition and Evolution in Historical and Social Research", with some 900 words added to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 44,5, including 27 article writing days.

Philosophy business 2025

I have just composed the annual financial report of my one-man company "Spør filosofen" for 2025. Altogether I earned 9.309 NOK while I had 1.856 NOK in expenses, resulting in a surplus of 7.453 NOK and a margin of 80,06%. Over the last 5 years, however, the accumulated 5-year surplus is -2.764,41 NOK and the margin negative at -18,09%.

#43,5

Today I have had half an article writing day devoted to the article "Friluftsliv in therapeutic residential care: When staff take youth out to find a way in", which I co-write with Joakim Jiri Haaland in relation to his ph.d. thesis. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 43,5, including 26 article writing days.

All together I logged 4.835 words written in May, the most in a month so far this Spring. For now in 2026 I have logged 14.078 words written.

CCS paper submitted to NEEN26 conference

I have just composed and submitted the abstract below to NEEN26, the NEEN & ISEE Conference on Environmental Ethics which is to be held at Umeå University, Sweden, October 14-16th. The conference is organised by Nordic Environmental Ethics Network (NEEN) in collaboration with International Society for Environmental Ethics (European section) .

*

The ethical case against Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)  

CCS has become increasingly central as a proposed mitigation measure. The Net Zero goal presupposes Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), which may involve the use of so-called negative emission technologies (NETs), which in turn in some cases involve Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). The Net Zero goal has arguably been misappropriated by fossil fuel interests to promote an agenda that seeks to avoid rapidly phasing out fossil fuels. It is commonly claimed that CCS is a necessity. But CCS as practiced to date has actually been found to be net CO2 additive. While emission reductions from CCS are often uncertain, research confirms that CCS mitigation measures have resulted in mitigation deterrence and climate delay. Regrettably, CCS has not triggered much debate in climate ethics, where anthropocentric perspectives – somewhat surprisingly – predominate. In ethical discussions about CCS, interspecies justice is particularly relevant in two ways: Firstly, in so far as CCS policies contribute to allowing continued greenhouse gas emissions and an overshoot in emissions, this will contribute to exacerbate the impact of climate change, including for non-humans. Secondly, in so far as non-humans are harmfully affected by the transportation of CO2 and long-term dedicated geological storage of CO2 in subsurface environments, this is a direct consequence of CCS policies. Lastly, while future generations is a common concern in environmental ethics, this perspective have not received much attention in the context of CCS. With its required time horizon of at least 10,000 years for underground CO2 storages, CCS is a perfect example of intergenerational externalization of costs in a climate change context. This arguably makes CCS unacceptable from the perspective of intergenerational justice and fairness. In this context, the lack of consensus among researchers on what CO2 leakage rates are acceptable is especially concerning.

#43

Today I have had an article writing day, with some 1.000 words added to my article "Prolegomena to lifeworld-oriented studies of contested climate pasts and futures", which is aimed for a special issue of Journal of Cognitive Historiography about "Cognition and Evolution in Historical and Social Research". This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 43, including 25,5 article writing days.

Google scholar: 1600+ citations

According to my Google Scholar profile my research has to date attracted a total of 1.612 citations (+18 since April 30th). This includes 177 citations in 2025 (+5 since April 30tht) and 64 citations so far in 2026 (+13 since April 30th). My h-index remains 22 and my i10-index 46.

This means that I have now passed 1.600 citations. As for my Google Scholar history, on Google´s count I passed 1.000 citations in December 2023, 1.100 citations in April 2024, 1.200 citations in September 2024, 1.300 citations in January 2025, 1.400 citations in June 2025, and 1.500 citations in December 2025. For a detailed history further back (100-1000 citations, achieved 2016-2023), see my 2023 blog post "Google Scholar: 1000 citations; updated Google Scholar history".

Ethics event chaired at Wonderful World festival; attended by 100+

Today, during the first day of Wonderful World – den nordiske festivalen for filosofi og vitenskap, held for the fourth year in Stavanger, Norway, I chaired the event «Når butikken trumfer etikken», with Mathea Slåttholm Sagdahl (University of Oslo), Peder Skjelbred (University of Oslo) og Espen Gamlund (University of Bergen) in the panel on stage. Some 113 people attended.

#42

Today I have had half a book writing day, with some 100 words net added to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 42, including 17,5 book writing days.

#41,5

Today I have had a book writing day, with some 100 words net deleted from my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. Beyond making some edits in the manuscript, I also went through research items in form of newspaper clippings that I have collected since I finished the manuscript draft in August 2026. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 41,5, including 17 book writing days.

#40,5

Today I have had a book writing day, with some 100 words net deleted from my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. I also spent time organizing in excess of 200 items of researched material, and revising writing plans for the next few weeks. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 40,5, including 16 book writing days.

Annual performance appraisal and work planning

Today I have had my annual performance appraisal in relation to my employment as Professor of philosophy at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. This included work planning for the academic year 2026-27.

#39,5

Today I have had a book writing day, with some 450 words added to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 39,5, including 15 book writing days.

#38,5

Today I have had a book writing day, with some 400 words added to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 38,5, including 14 book writing days.

Featured in UIS news story on Wonderful World festival

I am mentioned in an intranet news story published by University of Stavanger on the forthcoming 2026 version of the philosophy and science festival "Wonderful World". 

During the festival I will chair two events and participate in conversation with Melanie Challenger (see "Upcoming academic events" in the top margins). I am further a member of the festival´s program council.

Interview on symbolicity of wolves released in Krimpodden podcast episode

Today an interview with me on the symbolicity of wolves (and sheep) has been released as part of an episode of the Norwegian podcast Krimpodden, which is published by VG, Norway´s largest newspaper by number of readers. The episode is titled «Ulvejakta 1:2» (The wolf hunt 1: 2); subscription is required to access it. The interview was done by journalist and program host Tor-Erling Thømt Ruud.

#37,5

Today I have had an article writing day, with some 1.500 words added to my article "Prospective lifeworld-oriented studies of contested climate pasts and futures", which I have now remaned "Prolegomena to lifeworld-oriented studies of contested climate pasts and futures". In terms of words written, this was the most productive writing day so far in 2026.

This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 37,5, including 24,5 article writing days.

Steffens book featured in Karl Alber Verlag Spring catalogue

The book Philosophising with rocks: Henrik Steffens and the Anthropocene (which you can buy, or download for free here) which features my chapter "Steffen´s early outlook reconsidered. Nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene", is featured in the Spring catalogue of the German publishing house Karl Alber Verlag.

To chair panel on deep time during Wonderful World festival

I´ve agreed to chair the panel event "Å begripe dyp tid" (Comprehending deep time) during Wonderful World - Den nordiske festivalen for filosofi & vitenskap (taking place in Stavanger May 27-30th), with the panel featuring Bjørn Lindberg, Helge Jordheim and Dagmar Hagen. The event takes place Thursday May 28th at 8 pm.

#36,5

Today I have had half a book writing day, with some 200 words added to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. I also did some research concerning industry news and other news related to climate change and particularly carbon capture and storage (CCS).

This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 36,5, including 13 book writing days.

#36

Today I have had half an article writing day, with some 450 words added to my article "Prospective lifeworld-oriented studies of contested climate pasts and futures". This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 36, including 23,5 article writing days.

Member of The Academy of Sciences in Stavanger

I have been notified that I have been appointed as a member of The Academy of Sciences in Stavanger (Vitenskapsakademiet i Stavanger) - after having been nominated some weeks ago. The academy was established in 2004 (cf. news story in Norwegian).

Bachelor supervision completed

Today I have completed this Spring semester´s bachelor supervision here at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies, with six students in bachelor in social work (BSO) writing a total of five bachelor theses supervised over four supervision sessions each.

#35,5

Today I have had half a book writing day devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic, with various work done including organising files to be submitted, making endorsement suggestions, and revising Acknowledgements. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 35,5, including 12,5 book writing days.

#35

Today I have had a book writing day, with most of it devoted to my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. Specifically, I did some research concerning industry news and other news related to climate change and particularly carbon capture and storage (CCS), and also added some 200 words to the manuscript. Moreover, I rethought and updated the timeline for my long-term writing plan concerning my next scientific monograph, Being and Sign.

This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 35, including 12 book writing days. 

#34

Today I have had a book writing day devoted to revising the manuscript of my scientific monograph Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury Academic. In the process I added some 250 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 34, including 11 book writing days.

Participating in two events during Wonderful World 2026

I have agreed to take part in two events during this year´s Wonderful World – den nordiske festivalen for filosofi og vitenskap, which is to take place in Stavanger May 27-30th.

Wednesday May 27th: Chairing the event "Når butikken trumfer etikken" at Scene 2, 17:00–18:00. Features Mathea Slåttholm Sagdahl, Espen Gamlund and Peder Skjelbred.

Thursday May 27th: Taking part in the event «Returning to  animal – the true human condition» at Scene 2, 15.30-16.30, featuring Melanie Challenger (I am not mentioned online yet).

#33; peer-review of CCS and climate book received

Today I´ve had what ended up as half an article writing day and half a book writing day, upon receiving, at last, the peer-review of my book manuscript Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism from Bloomsbury Academic. I have today reworked writing plans for May and June considering the revision work I will now start with. Moreover, I did a little work on my book review of Interpreting, Communication and Animal Welfare for Biosemiotics.

This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 33, including 23 article writing days and 10 book writing days.

#32

Today I´ve had half an article writing day, with some 300 words added to the manuscript of my article "Prospective lifeworld-oriented studies of contested climate pasts and futures". This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 32, including 22,5 article writing days.

#31,5

Today I´ve had half a book writing day, with some research done concerning industry news and other news related to climate change and particularly carbon capture and storage (CCS), as well as some reading done, in preparation for my forthcoming book Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 31,5, including 9,5 book writing days.

#31

Today I´ve had what ended up as half an article writing day, with some rearrangement of writing day plans done, some 100 words added to my book review of Interpreting, Communication and Animal Welfare for Biosemiotics, and some 100 words added to my manuscript "Prospective lifeworld-oriented studies of contested climate pasts and futures" which is aimed for a special issue of Journal of Cognitive Historiography about "Cognition and Evolution in Historical and Social Research".

This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 31, including 22 article writing days. In April, I logged only 5,5 writing days (specifically, 4,5 article writing days and 1 book writing day), and 812 words written.

Google Scholar: 1.594 citations; 51 so far in 2026

According to my Google Scholar profile my research has to date attracted a total of 1.594 citations (+28 since March 31st). This includes 172 citations in 2025 (+5 since March 31st) and 51 citations so far in 2026 (+19 since March 31st). My h-index remains 22 and my i10-index 46.

#30,5

Today I´ve had an article writing day devoted to my book review of Interpreting, Communication and Animal Welfare for Biosemiotics, with some 350 words added to the manuscript. Moreover, I discovered that my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Academic, Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism, is now featured by Google Books, although no publication date has yet been set. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 30,5, including 21,5 article writing days.

Paperback edition of "Bloomsbury Semiotics" forthcoming in 2026

My chapter "Semiotics in ethology and zoology", published in volume 2 of the 4 volume set Bloomsbury Semiotics, will later this year be republished in a Paperback edition. According to Bloomsbury Academic the Paperback edition will be available from September 7th, 2026 - but it can already be pre-ordered.

Updated reference:

Tønnessen, Morten 2022. Semiotics in ethology and zoology. Book chapter, in Bloomsbury Semiotics (4 volumes, ed. Jamin Pelkey), volume 2, Semiotics in the Natural and Technical Sciences (ed. Jamin Pelkey and Stéphanie Walsh Matthews), pp. 75–91. Bloomsbury Academic. Hardback edition 2022 (9781350139329); paperback edition 2026 (ISBN 9781350641853).

News story on animal ethics episode published on UIS intranet

A news story titled "UiS forsker på skjermen: Tar opp etiske dilemmaer om dyr" (available only to UIS employees), featuring an interview with me and excerpts from the video series Etiske dilemmaer (published on Viten-TV), has been published on the intranet of University of Stavanger. The news story is written by Ida Tiberg.

Peer-review for Biosemiotics

I have recently done a peer-review for Biosemiotics.

#29,5

Over the course of the last three days, while attending the 22nd conference of the Nordic Society for Phenomenology (NoSP), I´ve had half a book writing day devoted to my scientific monograph in spe Being and Sign, with materials and references gathered, some thoughts made, and a little bit written. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 29,5, including 9 book writing days.

NoSP business meeting; conference dinner

This afternoon I attended the annual business meeting of The Nordic Society for Phenomenology (NoSP) / 
Nordisk Selskab for Fænomenologi here in Tampere
. In a minute I´ll be going to the location for the conference dinner.

Appointed as member of editorial board of Pertanika Journal of Quality of Life Studies

The Universiti Putra Malaysia has appointed me as a member of the editorial board of their new journal Pertanika Journal of Quality of Life Studies (JQoLS) for the next three years. The journal is published by UPM Press, with Nik Ahmad Sufian Burhan as Editor-in-Chief.

I am currently a member of the editorial board (or similar) of six journals (cf. Brief academic CV).

Paper "What Characterizes a More-than-Human Phenomenology Suitable for the Anthropocene?" presented at NOSP 2026 in Tampere, Finland

Today I have presented my paper «What Characterizes a More-than-Human Phenomenology Suitable for the Anthropocene?» at the 22nd annual conference of the Nordic Society for Phenomenology (NoSP). The conference, which has the theme “Phenomenology in the Anthropocene”, takes place at Tampere University, Finland, April 22-24th. My paper was given as part of the session «Uexküll’s Environments and Lifeworlds», which was chaired by Erika Ruonakoski and also featured presentations by Katja Tiisala and Niki Hadikoesoemo. Close to 30 people attended.

#29; Philosophising with Rocks received

Over the course of last Friday and today I´ve had an article writing day, with work done related to my book review of Interpreting, Communication and Animal Welfare for Biosemiotics. Also, at work, I received my print copy of Philosophising with rocks: Henrik Steffens and the Anthropocene (eds. Benedikt Jager and Marius Timmann Mjaaland), which includes my chapter "Steffen´s early outlook reconsidered. Nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene".

This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 29, including 20,5 article writing days.

Interviewed on animal ethics in UIB video production "Etiske dilemmaer"; launched on Viten-TV

About a week ago, philosopher Espen Gamlund and the University of Bergen launched the video series "Etiske dilemmaer" (Ethical dilemmas) on Viten-TV, a Norwegian online platform for academic video content. The first episode, "Dyr" (Animals), features interviews with me, Stefan Riedener and Aksel Braanen Sterri, while Gamlund acts as presenter and interviewer.

#28; four SNL encyclopedia entries updated

Today I´ve had half an article writing day, with work done related to my book review of Interpreting, Communication and Animal Welfare for Biosemiotics. Also, I took note that four Store Norske Leksikon encyclopedia entries I have previously suggested edits to have now been updated - specifically, this concerns the entries "Albert Schweitzer", "bærekraftig utvikling", "etikk", and "miljøbevegelsen". This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 28, including 19,5 article writing days.

#27,5

Today I´ve had half an article writing day, with work done related to my book review of Interpreting, Communication and Animal Welfare for Biosemiotics. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 27,5, including 19 article writing days.

Book chapter "Steffens´ early outlook reconsidered: Nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene" published

The book Philosophising with Rocks. Henrik Steffens and the Anthropocene, edited by Benedikt Jager and Marius Timmann Mjaaland, has now been published by Karl Alber Verlag (with contributions in English and German). The book includes my chapter "Steffens´ early outlook reconsidered: Nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene". This is the second chapter I have written on the work of Steffens, but the first to be published (the first was approved a long time ago but remains to appear in print).

Reference:

Tønnessen, Morten 2026. Steffens´ early outlook reconsidered: Nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene. Pp. 83–102 in Andreas Benedikt Jager & Marius Timmann Mjaaland (eds.), Philosophizing with Rocks: Henrik Steffens and the Anthropocene. Karl Alber Verlag.

The book is available for sale and as Open Access. See also the chapter on my ResearchGate profile.

#26,5

Today I´ve had what ended up as half an article writing day, with some work done on my book review of Interpreting, Communication and Animal Welfare for Biosemiotics and some initial work done on my climate change-themed article for a special issue of Journal of Cognitive Historiography, work-titled "Prospective lifeworld-oriented studies of contested climate pasts and futures". I also rearranged my writing plans for the next few weeks.

This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 26,5, including 18 article writing days.

#26

Today I´ve had half a book writing day with some work done on my scientific monograph Being and Sign, to which I added some 100 words. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 26, including 8,5 book writing days.

"Life in Earth – a new look at the nature of life" accepted for presentation at Sheffield Gathering of Biosemiotics

I have been informed by the organizers of the 26th Annual Gathering in Biosemiotics that my paper "Life in Earth – a new look at the nature of life" has been accepted for oral presentation.

Peer-review for Semiotica

I have recently done a peer-review for Semiotica.

Google Scholar: 1.566 citations; 32 so far in 2026

According to my Google Scholar profile my research has attracted a total of 1.566 citations (+12 since March 2nd). This includes 167 citations in 2025 (-1 since March 2nd) and 32 citations so far in 2026 (+12 since March 2nd). My h-index remains 22 and my i10-index 46.

Two papers accepted for presentation at ISQOLS 2026 (Lexington, Kentucky, USA)

I have been notified by the organizers of the 24th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS 2026), with the theme «Beyond the Bluegrass: Harnessing Research to Enhance Quality of life», that my papers «Alternative HDI thresholds for maximum income demonstrate significance for policy advice» and «Climate imaginaries and the contested future of economic growth» have been accepted for oral presentation. The conference will take place at University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky (USA), August 11–14th.

Peer-reviews conducted for IACS6

I have recently conducted peer-review of two proposed panels (with individual abstracts) for the Sixth Conference of the International Association for Cognitive Semiotics (IACS6), which is to take place in Rome, Italy, June 4-6th 2026, as a member of the conference´s scientific committee.

CCS paper proposal for IAEP rejected

I have been notified by the organisers of the 2026 digital conference of the International Association for Environmental Philosophy (IAEP) that my paper "The ethical case against Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)" has been rejected.

#25,5

Over the last two days I have had half an article writing day, with meetings held in relation to the articles "Når gode råd er plagsomme", which I co-write with Svein Tuastad, and "The rights and living conditions of unaccompanied minor migrants in the Schengen Area", which I co-write with Maren Sagvaag Retland. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 25,5, including 17,5 article writing days.

Paper «What Characterizes a More-than-Human Phenomenology Suitable for the Anthropocene?» scheduled for presentation April 23rd at NoSP 2026 in Tampere

I have been notified by the conference organizers of the Annual conference of the Nordic Society for Phenomenology (NoSP 2026), which is to be held at Tampere University, Finland, April 22–24 2026, that my paper «What Characterizes a More-than-Human Phenomenology Suitable for the Anthropocene?» has been scheduled for oral presentation as part of the session «Uexküll’s Environments and Lifeworlds», which will take place in Linna K109 on Thursday April 23rd at 11:30–13:00.

See also the full program and the abstract book of the conference.