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.

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.

#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.

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.

#27,5

Today I have had half an article writing day devoted to work on the revision of the book chapter manuscript "Steffens´ early outlook reconsidered: Nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene", following peer-review, adding some 200 words to the manuscript in the process. So far this Spring I have had 27,5 writing days, including 4,5 article writing days.

Talk at Henrik Steffens conference slightly rescheduled

There has been some adjustments to the program for the forthcoming conference "Henrik Steffens – The Prophet of the Anthropocene?" (Stavanger, September 8-9th) (see previous post about conference program). My talk "Reconstructing the nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene" has been rescheduled to 14.15-15.00 on Saturday September 9th (slight change).

Abstract for Henrik Steffens conference in Stavanger September 2023:

Today I have submitted the abstract below to the organizers of a conference on the work of Henrik Steffens that is to be held at Museum of Archaeology, organized by University of Stavanger on September 8-9th, in relation to the 250 year anniversary of his birth. I am an invited speaker.

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Title: Reconstructing the nature conceptions of the industrial-age Anthropocene

By Morten Tønnessen

In earlier work, I have addressed “Steffens’ ideas about organic meteorology: From the Totalorganismus to Planetary Health?” (forthcoming chapter, 2023). Here, I noted that discussion of humans´ place in nature has received renewed attention in the two last decades following the rise of the Anthropocene discourse, where the “Anthropocene” designates the current geological era characterized by environmental changes induced by human agency, and observed that this new context for theorizing on humans´ place in nature potentially reactualizes Steffens´ work. In this presentation, I will treat relations between Steffens´ work and the contemporary Anthropocene discourse more in-depth. Particularly, I will ask in how far Steffens´ work can be informative with regard to understanding how humans understood their place in nature around the time when many claim the Anthropocene actually started, in the wake of the industrial revolution following the invention of the steam engine in 1786.