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.

Second Steffens chapter invited and planned for

I have agreed to contribute with a chapter work-titled "Steffens´ early outlook reconsidered: Nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene" for a book on the work of Henrik Steffens which is to be edited by Andreas Benedikt Jager and Marius Mjaaland and published by Karl Alber Verlag in 2025.

My first chapter on Steffens, titled "Steffens’ ideas about organic meteorology: From the Totalorganismus to planetary health?", written for the book Henrik Steffens in Context of the Sciences, Humanities, Philosophy, and Arts around 1800 (edited by Anna Lena Sandberg & Jesper Lundsfryd Rasmussen) was finished quite a while ago, but has not yet appeared in print.

#15

Today I have had an article writing day, the 15th this Autumn, devoted to preparing my upcoming Henrik Steffens conference presentation and forthcoming book chapter, with some 50 words written in the process.

#13

Today I have had an article writing day devoted mainly to revising my article with Joakim Jiri Haaland, and partly also to my upcoming Henrik Steffens conference presentation which will end up as an ethology chapter as well. I wrote some 300 words; and this is the 13th writing day so far this Autumn.

To contribute to Open semiotics book with chapter "Umwelt theory for practitioners"

Today I have had half an article writing day, with some 200 words written. Accumulated number of writing days in 2020 is up to 31.

I wrote the summary reiterated below, which is the abstract for an invited book chapter for an anthology edited by Amir Biglari, Open Semiotics.

***

"Umwelt theory for practitioners: Practical guidelines for a more-than-human descriptive phenomenology" 
By Morten Tønnessen 

Descriptive phenomenology denotes a scientific method for describing lived experience, based on phenomenological philosophy. But despite the fact that classics such as Husserl and Heidegger acknowledged the existence of animal lifeworlds, descriptive phenomenology in its current forms is typically only applicable to the study of human lifeworlds. Using the semiotically framed Umwelt theory of Jakob von Uexküll as foundation allows for the development of a novel version of descriptive phenomenology that is non-anthropocentric and pluralistic. In this chapter, I introduce practical guidelines for a more-than-human descriptive phenomenology which is applicable in the study of human as well as animal lifeworlds. Whereas prominent current forms of descriptive phenomenology rely heavily on the subject´s mastery of verbal interviews and/or written accounts, i.e. the mode of human language, a more-than-human descriptive phenomenology depends primarily on participatory observation of and interaction with the subjects under study, possibly supplemented by expert interviews. In the study of animals, applied Umwelt theory can be of use e.g. to veterinarians, ethologists, and zookeepers. It is also of use to any anthropologist or social scientist that studies humans who interact with animals. By providing a scientific method informed by both ethology and semiotics, it offers researchers an invaluable tool for qualitative studies of human and animal lifeworlds separately or in relation to each other.

"Existential universals" article hopefully to be reprinted in Tarasti anthology

My article "Existential universals: Biosemiosis and existential semiosis" was first drafted around 12-13 years ago and eventually published as a journal article in 2017, in Chinese Semiotic Studies. The anthology it was originally written for, Transcending signs edited by Eero Tarasti et al., is now to be published by Mouton de Gruyter. Granted that we get permission to reprint it, the article will appear in the anthology too.

Ex.Phil. anthology advertised online

I see that the edited anthology Ex.Phil. for sosialfag (second edition) is being advertised online, for a price of 649 NOK. It is expected in sale August 1st.

Chapter selection for new Ex.Phil. anthology

Yesterday i finished selecting chapters for a new edition of Ex.Phil. for sosialfag, edited by me this time (last version was edited by Jon Vegar Hugaas), to be published by Universitetsforlaget this autumn.

The anthology will feature a chapter by me ("Menneskeveldet") as well as an introductory chapter written by me, in addition to 15 other chapters.

To edit new/revised Ex.Phil. anthology

I have agreed with Universitetsforlaget that I will work to prepare a new, part revised and part expanded, version of their Ex.Phil. anthology for social studies. Chapter selection and writing of a new introduction must be in place within a few months.

Anthology meeting

Today I attended a minimal meeting on the department´s book anthology in process. This versions of manuscripts are due February 10th.

Revision of family policy chapter

Today I have gone another round with revising parts of "Familie og fridom. Norsk familiepolitikk i lys av liberal politisk filosofi", a chapter I am co-writing with Svein Tuastad. Today´s task mostly involved adding references to official information about Norwegian family policies.

Anthology meeting attended

Today I have attended a status meeting on the anthology me and several colleagues on University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies are working on. Revisions are due by November 1st.

Book anthology seminar attended

Today I have attended a day-long seminar on the anthology Barneomsorg på norsk: I spenning mellom det offentlige og det private [Childcare in Norway: In tension between the public and the private]., at Ølberg konferansesenter. Svein Tuastad and I got feedback on our chapter "Familie og fridom. Norsk familiepolitikk i lys av liberal politisk teori" [Family and freedom. Norwegian family policies in light of liberal political theory]", and I gave feedback to another chapter in the anthology, written by Svein and Ayan Handulle.

To co-write article on family topic

I have agreed to co-write a chapter with Svein Erik Tuastad for an anthology to be published in relation to the 25 year anniversary of University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. The topic will be the (philosophy of the) balance between family and individual rights in child welfare contexts.

Spartacus issuing press release on Norwegian HAS anthology

Today Spartacus forlag/Scandinavian Academic press distributed a press release announcing the Human-Animal Studies anthology Hvem er villest i landet her: Råskap mot dyr og natur i antropocen, menneskets tidsalder [Who is wildest in this country here? Brutality towards animals and nature in the Anthropocene, the age of Man]. This book, which I have co-edited, will be published Wednesday May 15th, and on the same day there is a release event in Oslo (4 pm). The full text of the press release is available in my Norwegian language blog Utopisk Realisme.

The publishing house has further updated the book's webpage with link to the event 15/5, and also links to the press release on its press page. A printed version of the press release is being published during this week, and review copies distributed.

HAS anthology: Announcement link; high-res cover image

The upcoming book launch May 15th of the Norwegian Human-Animal Studies anthology I have co-edited has been announced on the website of Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law (University of Oslo), which will host the event - see here.

Also, here's a version of the cover image in somewhat higher resolution:

Book launch in Oslo May 15th - brief talk scheduled

On Wednesday May 15th, the Norwegian Human-Animal Studies anthology Hvem er villest i landet her? Råskap mot dyr og natur i antropocen - menneskets tidsalder [Who is the wildest one in the country here? Brutality against animals and nature in the Anthropocene - the age of Man], published by Spartacus' imprint Scandinavian Academic Press, will be launched in Oslo. The release event will take place the following time and place:

Time: Wednesday 15th of May at 16.00

Place: Domus Nova, Oslo (St. Olavs plass 5), seminar room 770 (7th floor)

As part of the event, I, as one of the editors of the book, will talk for some 7 minutes "Om mennesker og dyr i antropocen" [On humans and animals in the Anthropocene].

See the full announcement text and program in my Norwegian language blog Utopisk Realisme (or on the website of Minding Animals Norway).

See also my last post on this book.

Norwegian HAS anthology proof-read; to be released May 15th

The last few weeks and months the other two editors and myself have been working with preparing Hvem er villest i landet her? Råskap mot dyr og natur i antropocen - menneskets tidsalder [Who is the wildes one in the country here? Brutality against animals and nature in the Anthropocene, the age of Man], for publication. The publication date has now been set to May 15th.

Work done since last post on this volume, in March, includes regular proof-reading (involving all contributors), proof-reading of the print-ready PDF, and - today - revision of the index.

Final version of cover:

Abstract to animal meta-ethics anthology: "Beyond sentience: Biosemiotics as foundation for animal and environmental ethics"

In November 2012 I was invited by John Hadley and Elisa Aaltola to contribute to a book anthology work-titled Animal meta-ethics: New directions in animal philosophy. My contribution will be co-authored by Jonathan Beever of Purdue University. A full paper is due later in 2013 - this is the abstract Jonathan and I wrote in the days before Christmas:

Beyond sentience: Biosemiotics as foundation for animal and environmental ethics

Morten Tønnessen (University of Stavanger, Norway) and Jonathan Beever (Purdue University, USA) 

In this chapter we argue that biosemiotics can and should serve as foundation for animal and environmental ethics, particularly with regard to justifying attribution of moral status to non-humans. Our contribution rests on a contemporary semiotic interpretation of the Umwelt theory of Jakob von Uexküll (1864-1944), one of the founding fathers of ethology. 

Our approach argues that sentience is not coextensive with phenomenal subjective experience, but instead is a particular instance of such experience. In an Uexküllian sense, all living beings, even unicellular beings, have subjective experience by having semiotic agency, the capacity to navigate in a world of signs (aka the capacity for signification). The reason why moral status (general moral considerability) and moral value should be attributed to all living beings is that all living being have semiotic agency. This latter assertion implies that 

1. there is a world of experience that means something to each living creature, and

1. all living beings are capable of distinguishing between what is attractive (good) to them, what is repulsive (bad) to them, and what has no function for them.

Our actions might affect the wellbeing of any living creature insofar as they affect its worlds of experience and action. Whereas sentience has traditionally been understood in relation to the moral weight of suffering and pain in particular, our approach involves an acknowledgement that the wider ground of sentience is a reality of subjective experience that is omnipresent in the realm of the living at large. 

Scientific questions such as How widespread is sentience in the animal kingdom? are certainly of continued interest. What we suggest is that we start out by recognizing what is common to all living organisms, namely their semiotic agency, and that this stand should inform these other discourses as well. 

Attribution of moral status can be done at different levels of biological organization. We hold that moral status and value should be attributed at various levels simultaneously. Our basic premise, that semiotic agency is the soundest foundation for attributing moral status and value, suggests a certain (but not exclusive) emphasis on subjective experience and thus on the level of the organism/individual, where applicable. However, individuality is no simple notion, and the organism’s character of being already-ecological points to valuation of ecological levels too. An account of animal ethics, on this relational view, demands a complementary account of valuation of those environmental relations as well. 

We propose particularism^[1] defined by the normative maxim that each living being deserves to be treated well in accordance with its specific needs. These needs vary so much that it neither makes sense to value all living beings evenly nor to rank them hierarchically. Proper treatment of different living beings has to be case-specific and take species-specific and other needs into consideration. Facilitating the fulfillment of the needs of the living to the greatest extent possible is what ethics is all about.

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[1] Not to be confused with “moral particularism”, Hare 1963.

UiB's presentation of panel on nature view

Here's a link to the University of Bergen's (UiB) presentation of last week's panel discussion at Studia bookstore on nature view and practice (see also more extensive post on the panel). Titles of our intros were not included. I am presented as Associate professor, University of Stavanger.