FACE, COSMOS, ANTHROPOCENE. TOWARDS A NEW SENSIBILITY

Victor J. Krebs

doi:10.5840/du20253513

FACE, COSMOS, ANTHROPOCENE. TOWARDS A NEW SENSIBILITY

Victor J. Krebs

University of Notre Dame

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Our understanding of the face is deeply entrenched in ocular-centrism and anthropocentric narcissism, limiting the recognition of faceness to humans alone. This restricted perspective undermines our ethical engagement with the non-human world and sustains an illusion of stability and control, blinding us to our existential fragility and diminishing our ability to address the profound challenges of the Anthropocene. Drawing on speculative realism, this essay seeks to transcend these limitations by reimagining the concept of the face as a dynamic, relational phenomenon. By broadening our discernment of faceness beyond the human, we aim to foster a more attuned and ethically responsive orientation toward the interconnected realities of our era.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	21-34
Number of pages	14
Journal	Dialogue and Universalism
Volume	35
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.5840/du20253513
State	Published - 2025
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Anthropocene
Anthropocentrism
ethics
faceness
ocular-centrism
ontology
speculative realism

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10.5840/du20253513

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AB - Our understanding of the face is deeply entrenched in ocular-centrism and anthropocentric narcissism, limiting the recognition of faceness to humans alone. This restricted perspective undermines our ethical engagement with the non-human world and sustains an illusion of stability and control, blinding us to our existential fragility and diminishing our ability to address the profound challenges of the Anthropocene. Drawing on speculative realism, this essay seeks to transcend these limitations by reimagining the concept of the face as a dynamic, relational phenomenon. By broadening our discernment of faceness beyond the human, we aim to foster a more attuned and ethically responsive orientation toward the interconnected realities of our era.

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KW - Anthropocentrism

KW - ethics

KW - faceness

KW - ocular-centrism

KW - ontology

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FACE, COSMOS, ANTHROPOCENE. TOWARDS A NEW SENSIBILITY

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Keywords

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