Coexistentialism and the Unbearable Intimacy of Ecological Emergency

261 Pages·2016·1.492 MB·English

by  Sam Mickey Dr

Coexistentialism and the
Unbearable Intimacy of
Ecological Emergency
Ecocritical Theory and Practice
SeriesEditor:DouglasA.Vakoch,CaliforniaInstituteofIntegralStudies,USA
Advisory Board: Joni Adamson, Arizona State University, USA; Mageb Al-adwani,
King Saud University, Saudi Arabia; Bruce Allen, Seisen University, Japan; Hannes
Bergthaller,NationalChung-HsingUniversity,Taiwan;ZéliaBora,FederalUniversityof
Paraíba,Brazil;IzabelBrandão,FederalUniversityofAlagoas,Brazil;ByronCaminero-
Santangelo,UniversityofKansas,USA;JeffreyJ.Cohen,GeorgeWashingtonUniversity,
USA; Simão Farias Almeida, Federal University of Roraima, Brazil; Julia Fiedorczuk,
UniversityofWarsaw,Poland;CamiloGomides,UniversityofPuertoRico—RioPiedras,
Puerto Rico; Yves-Charles Grandjeat, Michel de Montaigne-Bordeaux 3 University,
France;GeorgeHandley,BrighamYoungUniversity,USA;IsabelHoving,LeidenUni-
versity,TheNetherlands;IdomThomasInyabri,UniversityofCalabar,Nigeria;Serenella
Iovino,UniversityofTurin,Italy;AdrianIvakhiv,UniversityofVermont,USA;Daniela
Kato,ZhongnanUniversityofEconomicsandLaw,China;PetrKopecký,Universityof
Ostrava, Czech Republic; Mohammad Nasser Modoodi, Payame Noor University, Iran;
PatrickMurphy,UniversityofCentralFlorida,USA;SerpilOppermann,HacettepeUni-
versity, Turkey; Rebecca Raglon, University of British Columbia, Canada; Anuradha
Ramanujan, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Christian Schmitt-Kilb, Uni-
versity of Rostock, Germany; Marian Scholtmeijer, University of Northern British Co-
lumbia, Canada; HeikeSchwarz,Universityof Augsburg, Germany; MuraliSivaramak-
rishnan,PondicherryUniversity,India;ScottSlovic,UniversityofIdaho,USA;J.Etienne
Terblanche, North-West University, South Africa; Julia Tofantšuk, Tallinn University,
Estonia; Jennifer Wawrzinek, Free University of Berlin, Germany; Cheng Xiangzhan,
Shandong University, China; Yuki Masami, Kanazawa University, Japan; Hubert Zapf,
UniversityofAugsburg,Germany
Ecocritical Theory and Practice highlights innovative scholarship at the interface of
literary/cultural studies and the environment, seeking to foster an ongoing dialogue be-
tweenacademicsandenvironmentalactivists.
TitlesintheSeries
CoexistentialismandtheUnbearableIntimacyofEcologicalEmergency,bySamMickey
DisabilityandtheEnvironmentinAmericanLiterature:TowardanEcosomaticPara-
digm,editedbyMatthewJ.C.Cella
TheMythologyoftheAnimalFarminChildren’sLiterature:OvertheFence,byStacyE.
Hoult-Saros
EcocriticisminTaiwan:Identity,Environment,andtheArts,editedbyChia-juChangand
ScottSlovic
EcotheologyintheHumanities:AnInterdisciplinaryApproachtoUnderstandingthe
DivineandNature,editedbyMelissaBrotton
T.S.Eliot,Poetry,andEarth:TheNameoftheLotosRose,byEtienneTerblanche
Coexistentialism and the
Unbearable Intimacy of
Ecological Emergency
Sam Mickey
LEXINGTONBOOKS
Lanham•Boulder•NewYork•London
PublishedbyLexingtonBooks
AnimprintofTheRowman&LittlefieldPublishingGroup,Inc.
4501ForbesBoulevard,Suite200,Lanham,Maryland20706
www.rowman.com
UnitA,WhitacreMews,26-34StannaryStreet,LondonSE114AB
Copyright©2016byLexingtonBooks
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyany
electronicormechanicalmeans,includinginformationstorageandretrievalsystems,
withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquote
passagesinareview.
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Mickey,Sam,1981-author.
Title:Coexistentialismandtheunbearableintimacyofecologicalemergency/SamMickey.
Description:Lanham:LexingtonBooks,2016.|Series:Ecocriticaltheoryandpractice|Includes
bibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2016021958(print)|LCCN2016023679(ebook)|ISBN9781498517652(cloth:
alk.paper)|ISBN9781498517676(Electronic)
Subjects:LCSH:Existentialism.|Humanecology.
Classification:LCCB819.M5352016(print)|LCCB819(ebook)|DDC142/.78--dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016021958
TMThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsofAmerican
NationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibrary
Materials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
1 Introduction:RenewingExistentialism 1
2 ExistentialistLegacies 27
3 AfterGod,AfterNature 47
4 RemainingExposed 73
5 Roundness 93
6 Interlude 117
7 AfterHumanism 127
8 LookingGood 149
9 BecomingWorldly 171
10 Askesis:ShutUpandTrain! 191
11 IndicationsofanAxialAge 209
12 Coda 227
References 233
Index 247
AbouttheAuthor 251
v

Acknowledgments
In a book about coexistence, it is impossible to give thorough acknowl-
edgments of all those who supported the inception and development of
this project. Who or what could be left out? Acknowledging everything
and everyone is impossible, and the “Acknowledgments” section of a
bookisnotnecessarilytheplacetoattempttolettheimpossiblehappen,
so I will restrict myself to a few acknowledgments for people who most
intimatelysupportedthisproject.Ihavetobeginwithveryspecialthanks
for my parents, Cindy and Bob Mickey. Without their coexistence, I
wouldnotexist.Additionally,Imustthankmyfatherforintroducingme
to existentialism at a young age, teaching me how to laugh at paradox
andtheabsurd,andIcannotexpressenoughthankstomysisterSabrina
for laughing with me so much. It’s absurd. Another close ally in my
encounters with existentialism is a courageously uncanny artist, Patrick
Cash,afriendwhoIcarryinmymemory.
I am grateful for the support of the faculty, staff, and students of the
various institutions at which I teach as an adjunct professor in and
aroundSanFrancisco,includingtheUniversityofSanFrancisco,theCali-
forniaInstituteofIntegralStudies,andDominicanUniversityofCalifor-
nia.Asaninterdisciplinaryscholar,Iamhappytohavefoundsupportat
thoseinstitutionsformyworkacrossboundariesofphilosophy,religion,
and environmental studies. Thanks to Sean Kelly, Adam Robbert, Justin
Hayes, Whitney Bauman, Clayton Crockett, Catherine Keller, Brian
Swimme, Aaron Weiss, Elizabeth McAnally, Jeremy Watts, Jesse Mills,
MattSegall,GeorgeJames,andKeithWayneBrown.Yourconversations
arestillinspiringandinformingme.IamindebtedtoMaryEvelynTuck-
er, John Grim, and everyone involved with the Forum on Religion and
EcologyatYaleforprovidingaveryhospitablecontextformywork,and
foropeningnewpassagewaysinecologicalhumanities.Gratitudeisalso
due to the Pacific Association for the Continental Tradition, which is at
the growing edge of continental philosophy today. Members of PACT
havebeengracious interlocutorsduringthedevelopmentoftheideasin
this book. In particular, special thanks go to Gerard Kuperus, Marjolein
Oele, Brian Treanor, Tim Freeman, Elizabeth Sikes, Jason Wirth, Chris
Lauer, and Dorothea Olkowski. I was able to participate in two work-
shops on the topic of place as part of the 2015 Davies Forum at the
University of San Francisco, where I received stimulating feedback on
thisproject.IowethankstoGerardKuperusfor organizingthosework-
vii
viii Acknowledgments
shops and to the other participants, including David Kim, Amanda Par-
ris,somecolleaguesfrom PACT(Brian,Jason,Marjolein,andElizabeth),
aswellasIreneKlaver,whosephilosophicalstyleandperspicacitydeep-
lyinformsmywayintocoexistentialism.
MypartnerKim Carforehasbeenaconstantsourceofsupport,intel-
lectual and emotional companionship, and much-needed reality checks
throughout the development of this project. Finally, I have to thank my
feline female companion, a black cat called “misses” or “Mrs.” She has
beenclosebyduringmuchofthewritingofthisbook.Sheisacompan-
ion who is reshaping my heart and mind, teaching me much about the
sheerstrangenessofcoexistence.Thisisforherandforeveryother,forall
thosewhoIdonotknowhowtoacknowledge.