The Environmental Uncanny: A Phenomenology of the Loss of the World
The Environmental Uncanny argues that the increasing destitution of our world is the result of a certain forgetfulness: we have forgotten that the basis of our knowledge is not calculative reason, but our participation in the natural world. The modern built environment is exemplary of this forgetfulness, and induces an uncanniness that can help us to understand the nature of our environmental crisis. This book offers a unique interdisciplinary perspective on the global environmental crisis. Ranging from traditional phenomenology, including substantial discussion of both Merleau-Ponty and Heidegger, to philosophy of biology, to architectural and urban design theory, to landscape photography, it makes illuminating connections to paint a multifaceted picture. Tracing the root causes of dwindling biodiversity, deforestation and suburban sprawl, we can find how might we mark the path back toward a mode of rich inhabitation in a contemporary age. In charting out how it is that we are losing our world, Irwin offers a thought as to how we might regain it.
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The Environmental Uncanny: A Phenomenology of the Loss of the World
The Environmental Uncanny argues that the increasing destitution of our world is the result of a certain forgetfulness: we have forgotten that the basis of our knowledge is not calculative reason, but our participation in the natural world. The modern built environment is exemplary of this forgetfulness, and induces an uncanniness that can help us to understand the nature of our environmental crisis. This book offers a unique interdisciplinary perspective on the global environmental crisis. Ranging from traditional phenomenology, including substantial discussion of both Merleau-Ponty and Heidegger, to philosophy of biology, to architectural and urban design theory, to landscape photography, it makes illuminating connections to paint a multifaceted picture. Tracing the root causes of dwindling biodiversity, deforestation and suburban sprawl, we can find how might we mark the path back toward a mode of rich inhabitation in a contemporary age. In charting out how it is that we are losing our world, Irwin offers a thought as to how we might regain it.
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The Environmental Uncanny: A Phenomenology of the Loss of the World

The Environmental Uncanny: A Phenomenology of the Loss of the World

by Brian A. Irwin
The Environmental Uncanny: A Phenomenology of the Loss of the World

The Environmental Uncanny: A Phenomenology of the Loss of the World

by Brian A. Irwin

Paperback

$39.95 
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Overview

The Environmental Uncanny argues that the increasing destitution of our world is the result of a certain forgetfulness: we have forgotten that the basis of our knowledge is not calculative reason, but our participation in the natural world. The modern built environment is exemplary of this forgetfulness, and induces an uncanniness that can help us to understand the nature of our environmental crisis. This book offers a unique interdisciplinary perspective on the global environmental crisis. Ranging from traditional phenomenology, including substantial discussion of both Merleau-Ponty and Heidegger, to philosophy of biology, to architectural and urban design theory, to landscape photography, it makes illuminating connections to paint a multifaceted picture. Tracing the root causes of dwindling biodiversity, deforestation and suburban sprawl, we can find how might we mark the path back toward a mode of rich inhabitation in a contemporary age. In charting out how it is that we are losing our world, Irwin offers a thought as to how we might regain it.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781350417403
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 01/22/2026
Pages: 272
Product dimensions: 6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Brian Irwin is Adjunct Assistant Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, USA.
He received a PhD in Philosophy from Stony Brook University, and has published articles on phenomenology and the cognitive sciences, architecture and urban design,
and the philosophy of place.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Environmental Participation
2. Merleau-Ponty and Depth
3. Heidegger and the Uncanny
4. The Uncanny Environment
5. Visions of the Environmental Uncanny
Conclusion: Macondo

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