Identification and Alienation in the Anthropocene: Arne Næss, Simon Hailwood, and the Plastic Whale

This article examines the concepts of alienation and identification in the context of the Anthropocene. It is a common claim in environmental thinking that alienation from nature drives ecological destruction and that a part of the cure for such an unhealthy relationship to nature is to recover a se...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hverven, Sigurd (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Center for Environmental Philosophy, University of North Texas 2022
In: Environmental ethics
Year: 2022, Volume: 44, Issue: 4, Pages: 331-346
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Summary:This article examines the concepts of alienation and identification in the context of the Anthropocene. It is a common claim in environmental thinking that alienation from nature drives ecological destruction and that a part of the cure for such an unhealthy relationship to nature is to recover a sense of identification with nature. The article challenges this view, by arguing that in the Anthropocene identification with nature may not be solely good, alienation from nature may not be solely bad, and identification and alienation may not be mutually exclusive phenomena. This thesis is defended through a critique of Arne Næss's view on identification and alienation, and by drawing and elaborating on Simon Hailwood's study of alienation in environmental philosophy and Adorno's critique of "identity-thinking." It also considers a specific case, the so-called "Plastic Whale" that was stranded outside the coast of Norway in 2017.
ISSN:2153-7895
Contains:Enthalten in: Environmental ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.5840/enviroethics2022102747