Giovanbattista Tusa-Vertigos. Climates of Philosophy

Vertigos. Climates of Philosophy

Giovanbattista

Tusa

Special Issue Philosophy and Environmental Crisis

Edited by Prof. Dr. Michael Marder

philosophies

Article

Vertigos.ClimatesofPhilosophy

GiovanbattistaTusa

NovaInstituteofPhilosophy,SchoolofSocialSciencesandHumanities,UniversidadeNovadeLisboa, 1099-032Lisbon,Portugal;giovannitusa@fcsh.unl.pt

Abstract: Inthisessay,Isuggestthatwearecurrentlywitnessingamutation,whichdisruptsthe mythicalimaginarythathadconfinedviruses,climatechange,andatmosphericturbulencestoan immutablebackgroundintheall-too-humannarrativeofthestruggleagainstnature.Iarguethat theincapacityoftranslatingthismutationinculturalandsocialterms,andtherepressionofthis traumaticexperience,arethecauseoftheperturbationthathauntsourtime.Disorientationpervades philosophywhentheentireimaginarytowhichithadanchoreditspowertochangetheworld seemstodissolveintheair,whenwhatwassilentanddistantturnsouttobevibrant,morefamiliar tousthananyknownproximity.Preciselyforthisreason,philosophymustrediscoveritsability toinhabittimesandspacesdifferentfromthoseorientedbythehegemonyofcapitalistprogress, withitscorrelateofregularcatastrophicemergenciesandcalculatedrisk.Inthisessay,Iaimto presentaperspectiveinwhich,insteadofcomingbackstraightforwardly‘downtoearth’,philosophy acceptsinhabitingthefluctuatingdisorientationofitsowntime,itselfpopulatedbyintermittentand uncertainopportunitiesofexperiencingdifferentlythepastandthefuture—toencounterdifferent relationshipswiththetimesthatchange.

Keywords: ecology;climatechange;philosophy;elements;disruption

ToJean-LucNancy,wholeftuson23August2021. Withouthim,nothingofwhatflowsinthisessaywouldhavebeenatallpossible.

Citation: Tusa,G.Vertigos.Climates ofPhilosophy. Philosophies 2022, 7,7. https://doi.org/10.3390/ philosophies7010007

AcademicEditor:MichaelMarder

Received:29November2021

Accepted:1January2022 Published:10January2022

Publisher’sNote: MDPIstaysneutral withregardtojurisdictionalclaimsin publishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations.

1.Introduction

In“TheClimateofHistory:FourTheses”,Chakrabartyclaimsthattheclimatecrisis revealsthelimitsofourformsofhistoricalunderstandingasitdefinitivelycollapsesthe distinctionbetweenhumanandnon-humanworlds.Thedifficultyinunderstandingwhat ishappeningdependsonthefactthatwecanonly“experiencespecificeffectsofthe crisisbutnotthewholephenomenon”[1].AccordingtoChakrabarty,thecritiquethat understandshumanityasaneffectofpoweris“aneffectivecriticaltoolindealingwith nationalandglobalformationsofdomination”[1],butitisnotadequateindealingwith theclimatecrisis.Arenewedcritiqueshouldengageanewperspectiveontheplaceof humansinthedistinctthoughconnectedhistoriesoftheglobeandtheplanet.Inthissense, Chakrabartyusesthenotionof planetary todesignateaconditiondifferentfromthatof globalization,thedescriptionofwhichrequiresustoacknowledgethat“thecommunicative setupwithinwhichhumanssawthemselvesasnaturallysituatedthroughcategorieslike earth,world,andglobehasnowbrokendown”[2].

Copyright: ©2022bytheauthor. LicenseeMDPI,Basel,Switzerland. Thisarticleisanopenaccessarticle distributedunderthetermsand conditionsoftheCreativeCommons Attribution(CCBY)license(https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

Theplanetaryconditionreferstoneitheranycommongroundnortoanybelongingto asystemofuniversalvalues.Instead,asSpivakpointsout,iturgesustodiscoveramode ofinhabitingwithwhatescapestranslationor“acceptance”[3].‘Planetary’,then,isthat whichremains“aboveandbeyondourownreach”andwhichrequiresusto“persistently educateourselvesintothepeculiarmindsetofacceptingtheuntranslatable”[3].Theplanet, withinthiscontext,insteadofbeingrepresentedasthetotalizinginterconnectednessofa systemofrelationship,remainsanegativeconcept,shroudedinwhatThackercalledthe “CloudsofUnknowing”[4].

Notsurprisingly,Latouremphasizeshowthisnewconditionischaracterizedbya “vertigo”,ageneralizedpanicthatpervadespoliticstoday.Uncertaintyandriskemerge inthemostcommonformsofinhabitingourtime,inthedailyhabitsthathavegrounded andstabilizedourethicalandpoliticaldimensions.ForLatour,itisimportanttorecognize thatatstakeisnothinglessthantheveryquestion“ofattachment,oflifestyle,that’sbeing pulledoutfromunderus[...]Thenewuniversalityconsistsinfeelingthatthegroundis intheprocessofgivingway”[5].Atthesametime,evenifitisadisorientingcondition thataffectseveryone,itonlyappearsintheareasoffrictionandresistance,andforthis reason,wemustacknowledgethatalthoughaprofoundchangeinthehumancondition hastakenplace,humanityremainsprofoundlydifferentiatedandcannotbeimaginedasa single,meta-historicalagent.

Theperceptionofthiscondition,whichturnedthiscrisisintoanimperceptibleyet commonsituationinourlives,notonlyannouncestheendofaproductivesystembut alsoanupheavaloftheimagination.Notknowinghowtoprocessandsocializewhat wearefeelingintheseuncertaintimesmakesusvictimsofanunfathomableanxiety.In thisagemarkedbyunthinkablechanges,environmentsthatarefamiliartousturninto frighteningforeignagents,comingfromaliendimensionstoinvadeourair-conditioned metropolises.Foralongtime,Westernthoughtsubjectedallatmosphericvariationsto aprocessofrarefactionandsublimationthatconfinedclimatechangetothecelestial, immutabledimensionofreturnoftheidentical.

Butchangeisintheair,andthequestiontodayistoconfrontthefluctuationsthatcharacterizeradicalcontingency.Contingentissomethingthathappenstousandthatescapes “allpre-registeredpossibilities”[6],becausewhensomethinghappenstous“noveltygrabs usbythethroat”[6],andallcalculationends.Theincalculablenatureofthecontingent thusreopensustochance,itde-totalizesaworldthat“onlytakescountingtechniques seriously”[6].

Philosophy’sbeginning—Deleuzeclaimsinafamouslectureonthecreativeact[7]—is notcharacterizedbyintelligencebutbyanidiotismthatresists“theconsensualwayin whichthesituationispresentedandinwhichemergenciesmobilizethoughtoraction”[8]. Philosophyhasalwaysbeenaffectedbyavertigothatrendersclosewhatisdistantand remotewhatisnear.Philosophytraversesrealms,likeanuninterruptedconversationof spirits,andinundateseverythingwithitsfluidity;itdrawseverythingintoitsabysmal drift.Hence,thatwhichhasalwaysappearedtobeotherturnsouttobeinsomewaysame, andwhathasalwaysseemedtooriginatefromone’sowninmostselfissuddenlyrevealed tobeotherandunknown.

2.StellarRevolutions

Venice,March1610.Amessengerannouncesarevolutioncomingfromthestars. GalileoGalileipublisheshis SidereusNuncius,“stravagantissimameraviglia”,ashort astronomytreatiseinwhichhediscussestheobservationsofcelestialbodieshemadefrom siderealdistances,whichwereenabledbythetechnicalimprovementsonthetelescope inventedafewyearsearlierinTheNetherlands[9].ThebirthofmodernWesternscience coincidedwiththedevelopmentofopticalapparatusesthatprovokedadecentralizationof thehumanuniverseandtheendofgeocentrism.However,thisrevolutionofthecenter generatedatthesametimetheparadoxicalreorientationthatgavemodernityitsspecific perspective.Whatbecomescentralisthepositionofthesubjectanditsabilitytobecome anactivesourceandoriginofmeaning.Enlightenment,AdornoandHorkheimerwrite, is“totalitarian”[10]inthesensethatitrequiresthetotalityofvisionofasubjectwho hasthepowertohaveanoutsideviewoftheworld,thepowertoseetheworldfrom anotherworld.

Astronauticalexpeditions,whosecentrifugalimpetusisforHansBlumenberg“a remnantofthespecialvalueassignedtothestellarrealitybymetaphysics”[11],show preciselythathumanitycouldnothaveanexperienceofareturntotheEarthexceptby leavingit.Theearthinfacthadalwaysbeenforitsinhabitantstheinvisibleparexcellence,

theobviousandimperceptibleconditionoftheirexistence.Yet,observedforthefirsttime fromouterspace,itappearedasanislandinanoceanofnegativity,“asacosmicoasis onwhichmanlivesinthemidstofthedisappointingcelestialdesert”[11].Modernity, whichbeganwiththeEuropeanshipsthatdepartedtotheConquestoftheNewWorld, wascaughtinaparadoxicalorbitthatentails,attheendofitstrajectory,anunexpected geotropicinversion,arenewedsacralizationoftheTerrestrial.Theearthhasbecomein thisperspectiveanark,avehicleofsurvivalthatisalsoa“de-foundingexperiment”[12] (p.238).AsPeterSloterdijkpointsout,theconceptoftheark—fromtheLatin arca, arcanus, closed,secret—revealsthat“theartificial,sealedinnerworldcan,undercertain circumstances,becometheonlypossibleenvironmentforitsinhabitants”[12](p.237). Europeanmodernityisdistinguishedbyaspecificprojectthatconsistsinbuildingitsown autonomoushome,ahomeindependentfromanycontext.Anabsolutehouse,which progressivelydisconnectsitselffromthegroundandtheneighborhood,asitonlypossesses “thequantityofgroundthatformedpartofitself”,basedonanavigationsystem“rather thanafoundation”[12](p.238).

Thus,theconquestofexternalspaceshadtheparadoxicalresultofshapingafloating interiority,aspecialbiosphere.Accordingtothisproject,forthisbiospheretocontinue toexist,itisnotenoughtoappropriatetheEarthinitsentirety,butitisalsonecessaryto conquereveryoutside. ÉdouardGlissantwritescriticallyinhis Poeticsofrelation:

Inyourpoeticvisionaboathasnobelly;aboatdoesnotswallowup,doesnot devour;aboatissteeredbyopenskies.Yet,thebellyofthisboatdissolvesyou, precipitatesyouintoanonworldfromwhichyoucryout.Thisboatisawomb,a wombabyss.[...]Thisboatisyourwomb,amatrix,andyetitexpelsyou.This boat:pregnantwithasmanydeadaslivingundersentenceofdeath[13].

Theencompassingviewoftheearthfromtheoutside,asawanderingark,suggests theideaofcompleteinterconnectionandcoexistence.However,italsogeneratesthe extremedangeroftotalitariancontrol.MartinHeidegger,inalectureentitled“DieZeit desWeltbildes”,arguesthatthefundamentaleventoftheModernAgeconsistsmainly intheconquestoftheworldaspicture(Weltbild)andthatglobalizationisultimatelya representationalorevenaestheticprojectinwhichtheworldnolongerappearsastheopen spaceofexperiencebutasanobjectofrepresentation,design,andproject[14].Thismodel representstheplanetasacyberneticorganism,aninterconnectedmetabioticconstellation inwhichitseemsnolongerpossibletocircumscribeanyseparationbetweenthepersonal andthecommon.Causeandeffect,possibilityandpotentiality,andpastandfutureare indefinitelyintegratedanddisintegrated.

Globalizationisthustheproductofaspecificpoliticaleconomyofspacethatgenerates andmobilizesflowsofenergy,rawmaterials,money,workforce,signs,informationand knowledge,symbols,people,butitfinallycoordinatesandsynchronizesthesemultiple flowsinanasphyxiatinguniquespace.Thisenvironmentseemstohaveneithercenter normargins,yetitisfarfrompacifiedbyanysharedorcommonground:divergentand differentvalues,timesandspacescoexistinpermanentcollisionwitheachother.Intheage inwhichtheexpansiveprojectoftheunificationoftheearthunderthetotalizingfigure oftheglobeseemsfinallyaccomplished,humanitymovesinto“aphaseofpanicterrors, exactlybefittingasmallworldoftribaldrums,totalinterdependence,andsuperimposed co-existence”[15].

Therefore,theparadoxofourtimeisthathumanityisbecomingsimultaneouslymore unifiedandmorefragmented.Themoreintegratedtheworldbecomes,themorethevery groundonwhichtheprojectofglobalizationofourmultipleexistenceswasfoundedseems toslipaway.AsHannahArendtemphasizes,itis“worldalienation,andnotself-alienation asMarxthought[that]hasbeenthehallmarkofthemodemage”[16](p.154).This conditionofworlddeprivation—the acosmia—isaccompaniedbyarevolutionarymutation ofourcapacitytotransformourenvironment.Tosomeextent,thepowerofmodernity consistedinthecapacityofputtingtheworldatadistance,andthepowerofcritique consistedinthecapacitytoseparateanddissociateanybond.TheArchimedeanpoint

describedbyArendtin The HumanCondition as“apointoutsidetheearthfromwhich tounhingetheworld”[16](p.262)becamesynonymouswithaneccentricalandunique standpointthatenablesustoexcludeourselvesfromanyperspectivethatdoesnotrequire asinglegazeonlytoreadthewholeworld.

3.TheOthers’Insurrections

Inthefinalpartsofhis LandandSea,CarlSchmittmaintainsthat“thewholehistory ofmankindisbutavoyagethroughthefourelements”[17].Theprogressivedetachment fromanearthlyoriginthatmarkstheWesterndeclineannouncesanew“airage”,an enormousdestructionofallorientationsbasedontheold nomos oftheearth[18](p.178).1 Thisrevolutionthatshiftsthehorizonfromearthtoairgeneratesaprogressivedissolution oftheentiresystemofindividualization,measurement,andlocalizationthatmakesthe earthaninhabitable,politicalspace.InthefutureportrayedbySchmitt,depoliticization wouldcharacterizeaworldwhichwouldnolongerbeaworld,onereducedtoacompletely dehumanizedandpacifiedglobe,withoutaremainder(restlos),without“thedistinctionof friendandenemyandhenceaworldwithoutpolitics”[19].2 Thisunpoliticalfuturewill re-proposethechaoticconditionthatprecedesandprovokesthe nomos,understoodas theabilitytomakeinhabitabletheuninhabitable.Theaerialdimensionmarksthefailure ofthecosmopoliticalgovernment(nomos)oftheModerns,causingadisruptiveeffect ofdisorientation(Ent-Ortung)anddislocationthatopensanirreversiblecrisisofevery dimension,relationship,andspatialscale.

Thiselementalmutationtransformsthespaceofeveryhumanaction,openingunknownpossibilitiesoforderandsense.ModernEarth,characterizedasacombinationof naturalresourcesandterritoriestooccupy,haditsownpossibilitytoexistonlyinitsconstitutiverelationshipwiththecorrespondingemergenceofmultiple TerraeNullius,which designatedpreciselylandsthatwerenotexploitedbytheirinhabitantsandthatcouldbe thereforeappropriated[21]:anomiclands,towhichthe nomos hasgivenadelimitation, anorientationthatinscribesthemwithinauniversalcosmologicalhorizon,asensethat integratesthemintoacommonworld.

Thefabricationofempty,separate,anomicspaceswaitingforlawandorderhasbeen thefoundationalpillarofaplanetaryorderregulatedbycosmic,astrallaws,basedon theearth,depictedasmotherofalltherightsand justissimatellus [18](p.42).Thisorder neededlegalvacuumsand“reservesofdarkness”[22]asitsconditionofexistenceand perpetuation.However,thesezonesofdarknessrise;theyinsubordinate.Anewplanet emergesthatnolongerpermitstobeinventoried,torntopieces,orarranged.Thespace inwhichtheexplorermovedtogetfromthecontinenttothedistantislandsisnolonger smoothorempty,butitisopen,andhauntedbyentanglementsandfrictions.Theearth, whichembodiedthetraditionalfoundationoftherightofpropertyexploitation,becomes insteadthecriticalmassofcontestation[23].Inourage—SabuKohsowritesinhis Radiation andRevolution—impetusesofrevoltthatdonotoriginate“byheavenlycommandmentbut inearthlystruggles;intheconvergenceofwindswithvaryingtemperatures,speeds,and orientations”[24].

TheAnthropoceneistheageinwhichtheplanetaryexpansionofauniversaland abstractformofhumanitythatbindstoitsownendsallother-than-humanworldsseems toberealized.However,atthesametime,thisageexposesthefailureofanthropocentrism, sinceitalsoshowshowhumanitydependsonnon-humanentities.Asanagethatpresents thepossibilityoftheendofmanasitsownhorizon,italsoimpelsaliberationfromthis horizonandaproliferationofhistorieswithouthorizonandwithoutends.Newstruggles generateageneralizedrestlesssenseofraisingthatthrowusupintheair,adiffused movementthatisheavinguptheearth,upheavingourveryground[25].Weareatthis point,where,deprivedofanysupport,wecanfinallyexceedtheorbitalmovementof athoughtthatforcenturieshasgravitatedaroundthesamefoundingnucleus.Wecan launchourselvesoutofthecircleofrecognitionandsolicitinthoughtforcesthatarenot

thoseofrecognition,“thepowersofacompletelyothermodel,fromanunrecognisedand unrecognisable terraincognita”[26].

In TheVisibleandtheInvisible,MauriceMerleau-Pontyexpressedthenecessitytoovercomethe“philosophyoftheperson”whosehistoryistooimmediatelylinkedtoindividual praxis andinteriority,tofinallygraspthe“nexusneither‘historical’nor‘geographic’of historyandtranscendentalgeology”[27](p.259).Merleau-Pontyevokesthe“flesh”asa possibleterritoryforaradicalre-foundationofphilosophicalground.Thistermdesignates somethingthat“hasnonameinanyphilosophy”,aformativemediumthattransitssubject andobject,whichisnotatall“theatomofbeing,thehardinitselfthatresidesinaunique placeandmoment”[27](p.147).Itdesignatessomethingfluctuatinginthephilosophical tradition,whichisneithermatter,norspirit,norsubstance,butthefabricintowhichall bodiesarewoven,theworldlyconnectioninwhicheverybodyemergesonlyasadifference fromotherbodies.Thatiswhyhedefinesthisgroundbythepre-Socraticexpression “element”:

Thefleshisinthissensean“element”ofBeing.Notafactorasumoffacts,and yetadherenttolocationandtothenow.Muchmore:theinaugurationofthe whereandthewhen,thepossibilityandexigencyforthefact;inaword:facticity, whatmakesthefactbeafact.And,atthesametime,whatmakesthefactshave meaning,makesthefragmentaryfactsdisposethemselvesabout“something.”

Forifthereisflesh,thatis,ifthehiddenfaceofthecuberadiatesforthsomewhere aswellasdoesthefaceIhaveundermyeyes,andcoexistswithit,andifIwho seethecubealsobelongtothevisible,Iamvisiblefromelsewhere,andifIand thecubearetogethercaughtupinonesame“element”[27](pp.139–140).

Understandinghumanthoughtasaspecific,singularemergencefromafluctuating elementmeanstodenythathumanthoughtisanoriginal,founding,nativeinstance. Wethinkpreciselybecausethoughtisnourishedbyotherexistences;andthisrequires ustoundertakeadifficultprocessofdecolonizationofourthought,which“asksusto ‘provincialize’languageinordertomakeroomforanotherkindofthought[...],more capacious,onethatholdsandsustainsthehuman”[28].Thisisanecessaryprocessto foundanewcritiqueofreasononopenanduncircumscribedground.

Accordingtothishypothesis,whatholdstheworldtogether,itsfoundation,regains itsgroundlessness,asitexceedsanyestablishedornormative,universalizingvalue.If thepowerofcritiqueconsistedinthesubject’scapacityforalienationfromtheworld,we nowperceivethatthisseparationisnolongerpossible,forcritiqueisforcedtobebound toaworldthatweincreasinglyperceiveasthespaceoftheothers.Beingintheworld means,asEmanueleCocciawrotein Métamorphoses,beinginapoliticalrelationship,that is,“toliveinthespaceconceivedandconstructedbyothers”[29]:otherswhoconstantly invadeaforeignspace,becauseaworldisthevolatileandfluctuatingsituationproduced ineverymomentbyaseriesofaimlessencountersdrivenbyunrelatedpurposesand impulses.Worldisthetransformationofalltheenvironmentalconditions,theinsurrection ofallnature.

4.Remembrances.OftheAir

Meteorologyhasbeenexcludedfromourhistorybecausemeteorsdonotcoincidewith itstime.Theyareaccidents,occurrences,“anadventitiousenvironmentoftheessential,the stance”[30](p.67),MichelSerresremarks.Theyrepresentadeviationfromtheruination ordecaythatdefinestheoccidentaleschatology,analeatorydeviationthatonlyinterests “thoseinwhomthelearnedhavenointerest:peasantsandsailors”[30](p.67).Ingeneral, Westernmodernity(initsdifferentformsandextensions)seemstohavelittlecapacityto thinkofanythingotherthananorganismcapableofpreservationorprogress.Ofthisfossil modernity,whose“petrifiedrelations”,Marxwrote,mustbeforced“todance”[31],the errantandtransitioningbodiesremaintheelusiveenigma:

Cometsareneitherether,norgas,norliquid,norsolid,norinanywayakintoany ofthesubstancesfoundinthecelestialbodies,buttheyaremadeofanindefinable substance,whichappearstohavenoneofthepropertiesofknownmatterand doesnotexistoutsideofthesunbeams,whichdrawthemoutofnothingnessfor aminute,beforereturningthemtoit.[...]Thereisnoreasontoincludethecomets inadescriptionoftheworld.Theyarenothing,theydonothing,andtheironly roleisthatofanenigma[32].

The cosmos isnotatall,asitisusuallyassumed,adefinitive,naturalorder,butrather,as Democritusintuited,itisaprovisionalarrangementwhosepartsintegrateanddisintegrate duetoanaerialmotionthatdispersesthem,toanirregularbreathingthatdistributesthem randomly.Inthisunpredictablemovement“everynascentobjectisinitiallyavortex,as indeedistheworld”[30](p.50).Yet,wehavefoundedourownwayofinhabitingthe worldonmeasurable,conquerable,andexploitablegrounds,ona terrafirma disentangled fromthesky.Westernmetaphysicshasenclosedtheairbyusingitasanenclosure,sothat whateludeslimitationbecametheverylimitoftheworld,itsatmosphere.

[It]isstatedinEmpedocles’cosmology.Thefirstelementtobeseparatedby hatredwasair,anditsurroundedtheworldinacircle,oranegg.Theexterior circleofairsolidified,orfroze,andwastransformedintoacrystallinevaultthat boundstheworld.[...]Thuswastheworldconstitutedasawholeclosedinupon itself,themostfluidcosmicelementservingasitssolidcrust[33](p.16).

Metaphysicalelevationtookusawayfromanyplace,indirectionofitscelestial stellae fixae,throwingusinanintemporaltimeoftotaldislocation.However,atthesametime, itgeneratedaradicaldelimitationofthehumanworldtowardsanyoutside,producing anasphyxiatingworld,withoutmarginsorremainder,synchronizedwiththeinanimate skiesofmetaphysics.Thisphilosophicaldestructionoftheskyhasmadeitaninhuman space,metaphysicallyemptyandanthropologicallyindifferent.Humanshavenothingto experienceupthere“butmuchtolose—namelythemselves”[12](p.75).Theterroroflosing ourselvesderivespreciselyfromthefactthatmetaphysicalthoughtalwayspresupposes asolidcore,fromwhichitelevatesaconstruction.Aerialfluctuationsappearasalossof references,asadissolvingdispersionintotheevanescentfragilityofaworldinwhichonly apermanenttransitionisinescapable.

Atmospherictime,asTimIngoldwrites,cannotbeperceivedchronologically,butonly kairologically,becauseitdoesnotconsistinasuccessionofevents.Beingexposedtoatmosphericelementsmeanstobeexposedtoaformativeprocessofcontinuousmetamorphosis whose“unendingdeteriorationisalsoperpetualbeginning”[34].Yet,theatmosphereis usedbymeteorologiststodefineagaseousshellthatsurroundstheplanet.Itbelongstoan imageoftheworldthatnecessarilypresupposesapointoutsidetheworld,aneccentric positionthatconferstoourepochitsspecialclimate.Throughthisseparation,environmentsinwhichweareentangledturnintounsettlingsituationsthatareperceivedonlyin theformofmolecularupheavalsthataredifficulttocomprehend.Itistheapprehension ofthisdisorientingfailureofmodernityanditssciencestoexperience“thevirusinside meandthestarlessskyaboveme”thatgeneratesinus“abreathtakingeffectofuncanny proportions”[35].

Butallrepressedrelationsreappearasinterferencesinourpoliticalspaces,whichhad confinedtheskyinanalienandremotedimensionsubjecttomeasurements,forecasts,and calculations.Thisepoch,whichhasdevelopedanewsensitivityandanewconsciousness ofthetemporalitiesofinhumanforceswithinhumanhistoricity,ismarkedbyaparadoxical situation:themorepowerfulandrealthecapacityofthehumanspeciestotransformall organicandinorganicspheres,thelessindividualslivinginthistimefeelempowered toinfluencetherealityaroundthem.Thisprogressiveerosionofthesensiblehasalso erodedwhatweare,makingusforgetthatindividuationisalwaysacollectiveprocess whosecompositiondependsondailyordinaryrelationshipswithextra-ordinaryprocesses. Evolutionunfoldsasmygenomemutates,combiningitselfwiththeworldsthatbreathe

inmycells—whicharenotmine,sincetheydonotexistifnotinconstitutiverelationship withbacterial,archaeal,andfungalmultitudes.

Being,ifitis,isexplodedinalldirections.Itisshared,butitisalsodivided,fragmented, shattered.ThisbeingshatteredhashauntedthephilosophicaltraditionsinceAristotle. Being,astheStagiritewrites,issaidinmanyways,andsoistheearththathedescribesin his Metereologica,whichisdistributedintodifferentclimes[36].Withinthismodel,based onParmenides’ klimata,theGreekdefinitionof Klima ispluralbecauseclimatesareunique inclinations,dynamicrelationsbetweenskyandearth.Theemancipationoftheseclimatic inclinationsfromtheearthhasmarkedWesternmodernity,alongwiththeobsessionwith radicality,withablinddeterminationtosettledown,animatedbythefuriousdesiretofix everycontingency,toreintegrateeverydeviation,toregulateeveryfluctuation.

However,inthe21stcentury,anincommensurableaccelerationmarksourageasan “ageofdisruption”whichradicalizesinnovationtosuchanextentthatit“preventsany meta-stabilizationwiththeothersystemsthatconstitutethesocialbody”[37](p.105). Anaccelerationthatisexperienced“likeastormcarryingpopulationsalongwithit,asif bornealonginrudderlessvessels”[37](p.117).Confrontingtheprogressivedestructionof bio-diversitythatcharacterizesthisage,BernardStieglercallsforanintensificationofthe “negentropic”potentialitiesofnewformsoflifeandknowledgetotransformanddisorientatetheentropictendencyoftheAnthropocene.WhatisnecessaryforStiegleristogenerate spacesthat,withinthedisruptiveworldorderdrivenbyentropictanatopolitics,giveroom foractivelymakingthedifference“bycreatingworldsinthebefouledunworld[immonde] [...] byproliferatingactsoftakingplaceinathousandplaces”[38].Theconstitutionofa commonworldisneversimplytheresultoftheaccumulationofinterconnectedacts,but itisinsteadconfiguredastheconflictingdistributionofmodesofexistencethatoccupy differentparts.3 Itdoesnotimplyasharedterrain,butitestablishesgroundsforpolitical negotiationsofourcommondivergences.

Thepresentappearsasadisintegrationofallplaces,asanerrant,disastrousdisorientationthatruinseverything.Thisis,infact,whatdisasterliterallymeans:aseparationthat causesdamageofuncircumscribableproportions,adisorientationthatmakesourworld uninhabitable.Nevertheless,itisthisdisorientationthattodayconnectsusagain,asitisa disasterthattoucheseverythingandeveryone,itisthat“whichdisruptssolitude”[40].

Resistingthispresentthenalsoimpliesrecognizingthatthisdisorientationmakes theuninhabitableourverycommonplace.Experiencingthisdisorientationmeansletting spacesandtimesarisethatcannotbereintegratedorlocalized.Itmeansacceptingthe perturbationsthatinterferewithourconsciousness,tocultivateandpracticethatwhich dragsthinkingtoitsveryborders,wherethinkingisupturnedwithinitselfbyanunsettling philosophy’svertigothatinfectsandtransfiguresbothproximityanddistance.

InthefamoustumultuousimagethatopensWalterBenjamin’sThesisIXontheconcept ofhistory,heassimilatesprogresstoastormthatleavesbehinda“pileofdebris”[41] (p.392).Thisstormisthetimeofinfiniteprogressasincessantconsummationoffinite resources.Itisthisprogressthatisbarringourfuture[42],foritstimeisthatofthe exhaustionofeveryresourceofthepossible.

Thatthingsare“statusquo”,thatthingscontinueastheyare,thatthepastisaccomplished,thatitsinjusticeiscomplete:thisisforBenjaminthecatastrophe.Thedisaster consistspreciselyinthecatastrophiccontinuitythatanchorstheOccidenttothisprogress, preciselybecausethisprogressisgroundedinacatastrophethatturnsthepastintoruins. Thisdisastrouscontinuityforeseestheprogressoffuturegenerationsastheendofpolitics. Itisenchantedbytheidealof“liberatedgrandchildren.”,insteadofbeingnourishedby“the imageofenslavedancestors”,insteadofstrivingforliberation“inthenameofgenerations ofthedowntrodden”[41](p.394).

Theunfinishedstrugglethatcomesfromthepastpropelsthepresentintoavertiginous “leapintheopenairofhistory”[41](p.395),asitreinvestsitscontinuitywithinconsistent temporalitiesanddisjunctivehistoricity.“Inthevoiceswehear”,Benjaminwrites,there is“anechoofnowsilentones”[41](p.390)thatintroducescutsanddiscontinuitiesinto

theairwebreathe,breachingtheasphyxiatingatmosphereinwhichglobalcapitalismhas envelopedallthedivergenttimesandspacesoftheplanet.Anewcommunityofrespiration sealsa“secretagreementbetweenpastgenerationsandthepresentone”[41](p.390).

Inhis ArcadesProject,Benjamindescribesa“Copernicanturnofremembrance(WendungdesEingedenkens)”[43],anewdialecticalmethodofdoinghistorythat“teachesus topassinspirit—withtherapidityandintensityofdreams—throughwhathasbeen,in ordertoexperiencethepresentaswakingworld”[43].Throughthismethod,itwillbecome possibletoresisttheinexorableendingofourfuture,andtoproducecountermemories committedto“thedead,andtheforgotten”[44]thatenableustoelaborateconceptual toolsforassembling“counterfutures”[44].Weneedapraxisthat“throughakindof anachronisticjustice”candisseminate“atrutherasedbythechrono-masters”[45].

Ourevolutionnotonlycontainsinembryowhatwillbeinthefuturebutalsohas memoryofother,ancestralexistences.Thisdoesnotmeanthatthedestinyofwhatexists isdeterminedbyprimordiallaws,butratherthatdifferentpartsofthesameembryocan evolveindifferentanddivergentdirections,shootingconcurrentpolarizations.Thepast isneverfinishedonceandforall,itisnotanunchangeablefixedpoint,andthefutureis nottheprogressofthispresent;rather,asKarenBaradargues,“thepastandthefutureare enfoldedparticipantsinmatter’siterativebecoming”[46].

Infrontofthecatastrophicandprogressivecontinuitythatcharacterizesthenarrative ofAnthropocene,whichpresentsthelinearandautonomousstoryofaspeciesthatevolved fromhunter-gatherertribestoglobalgeologicalforce,critiquecantodayonlyopposea speculativenotionofprogress,“abecomingofcontinuity,butnocontinuityofbecoming”[47].Thisrequiresassumingtheintermittentinconstancythatcansuddenlyexplode intheverykernelofanypower,thusinterruptingthelinear,cumulative,entropictendency ofthistime.Thisistodisruptthecirculareconomybasedonenergyconservation,which turnsallfuelinto“themostconservative,closedfigure”[48]andthusreopenthealways alreadyclosedcircleofmetaphysicsinwhichineachpoint“beginningandendcoincide, butatthecostofanabyss”[33](p.2).

OtherrelationsradiatewithintheabstracthegemonyofCapital’sgloballogistics, hauntingitsdreamstobecapableofadaptingtoeverypossiblecondition,eternallyfloating likeaspecterinapneumaticvacuum,intheabsenceofairresistance;becauseallappropriationandcolonizationarealwaysdisorientedbyextraneousinfluencesandforces,and everyacclimatizationisperturbedbythetimeoftheoppressed,whichisneithertheplastic timeofthepossiblenorthegeologicaltimeoffoundations,buttheperturbedanduncertain timeoftheimpossible.

Funding: ThisworkisfundedbynationalfundsthroughFCT—FundaçãoparaaCiênciaeaTecnologiaundertheprojectUIDB/00183/2020.

ConflictsofInterest: Theauthordeclaresnoconflictofinterest.

Notes

1 Interestingly,Schmittadoptsthesamecatastrophictoneabouttheword“Utopia”usedbyThomasMoreinhisbookpublishedin 1516,arguingthat“suchawordwouldhavebeenunthinkableinthemouthofanyoneinantiquity.Utopiadidnotmeanany simpleandgeneralnowhere(orerewhon),buta U-topos,which,bycomparisonevenwithitsnegation, A-topos,hasastronger negationinrelationto topos [18]”.

2 Onthispassage,Derridacommentsthat“losingtheenemywouldnotnecessarilybeprogress,reconciliation,ortheopeningofan eraofpeaceandhumanfraternity.Itwouldbeworse:anunheard-ofviolence,theevilofamaliceknowingneithermeasurenor ground,anunleashingincommensurableinitsunprecedented—thereforemonstrous—forms;aviolenceinthefaceofwhich whatiscalledhostility,war,conflict,enmity,cruelty,evenhatred,wouldregainreassuringandultimatelyappeasingcontours, becausetheywouldbeidentifiable[20]”.

3 ForJacquesRancièrethisdistribution(partage)ofthesensibledisclosesatthesametime“theexistenceofsomethingincommon andthedelimitationsthatdefinetherespectivepartsandpositionswithinit[39]”.

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