Central and East European
Society for Phenomenology

Conference | Paper

Ecology and phenomenology

Alžbeta Kuchtová

Tuesday 13 September 2022

11:45 - 12:30

Palazzo del Capitanio-Aula Film

The aim of my talk will be to describe the relationship between the ecology and the phenomenology. In the past, in phenomenology, there was some distrust to sciences, and we can see that for example in Heidegger or in Levinas. Heidegger and Levinas refuse the scientific knowledge as too rigorous and as something that puts the humanity in danger. In case of Heidegger, it was a fear of putting in danger the human experience of being represented by poiesis. Levinas feared the scientific approach will erase the singularity of human face. Recently, we witnessed the development of eco-phenomenology inspired, and sometimes critically inspired, by Levinas’ or Heidegger’s phenomenology (Luce Irigaray, David Wood, John Llewelyn, Madalina Diaconu). What could be the new relationship of phenomenology to sciences? Why exactly was there distrust to sciences? How can phenomenology help to develop the ecology? For example, Arne Naes claims that Deep Ecology movement can represent one of the possible foundations for deep ecology, among the several religions and various worldviews or belief. Him aim is not to define deep ecology as only European matter, but as open to various cultural backgrounds and non-European religions and beliefs. It is therefore important to ask: What the role of phenomenology could be in our relationships to nature?