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Earthlings: a philosophical exploration of fake nature

Hakemuksen tiivistelmä

Fake nature has become increasingly present: from manmade islands and fake beaches to plans for an artificial moon. At a time when salvaging what is left of earthly nature has become so important, the increase in fake nature projects looks like a baffling paradox. How are we to understand the fact that indoor ski resorts are being built in Dubai, while the Arctic icecap melts at a dangerous rate? Given the increasing presence of synthetic nature and the subsequent blurring of the line between the natural and the artificial, as well as the reality of climate change, ecological destruction, and the worry that life on Earth is becoming unsustainable, this project aims to address the urgent question: what would we lose if we found ourselves surrounded only by copies of nature? Although a growing number of studies show a correlation between being in nature and finding well-being, the precise character and value of 'nature’ is unclear. How can we understand philosophically the link between nature and happiness? And once this link is appropriately understood, is there any reason to think that a well-made copy of nature couldn’t do the same work? This research project will be the first substantive philosophical exploration of the phenomenon of fake nature and our relation to it.

Fake nature is showing up everywhere just as the urgency of protecting real nature is growing. This project thinks through this strange contradiction and diagnoses our attraction to imitation as a symptom of having lost sight of what nature is.
Over the course of four years, I worked to retrieve and re-articulate what is unique to real nature and therefore irreplicable. By developing a contemporary interpretation of Aristotle’s radical understanding of nature, alongside insights from the work of Kant, and Heidegger, the project proposes that real nature be understood as an intelligible movement from coming to life toward purposes that are unique and internal to each organism and subsequently to ecosystems. Humans encounter this aspect of nature both when they make sense of nature's doings and when they are moved by its beauty and feel compelled to care for it.
The project’s findings were presented internationally to both academic and non-academic audiences through universities, festivals, and public forums. These included talks, lectures, and articles, as well as a PhD seminar delivered at my home institution, the Philosophy Department at Åbo Akademi University in Finland.
A widely read article on fake plants—published in TIME Magazine—brought the project’s ideas to a global audience of millions.
The project placed strong emphasis on public engagement and has resulted in a book manuscript written for a broad readership. The manuscript is currently in its final stages and in search of the right publishing home.
Overall, the project contributes to ongoing debates about ecology and technology by offering a fresh philosophical understanding of what makes real nature unique, irreplicable, and more valuable than ever before.

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