Through the fine folks at open humanities I’ve set up a new journal called Thinking Nature. The journal is not meant to be a mouth piece for Grantian Speculative Realism or my own Dark Vitalism but is meant to explore the relationships between philosophy, science, and nature – nature as a concept, set of processes, and as a series of empircal and metaphysical entities.
My sense is that given the dominance of ‘green’ thinking, programs, and activities in the age of ecological crisis, nature could use a good amount of ideological cleansing and intellectual clarification.
I would ask if anyone is willing and able to design a header image for the journal website it would be much appreciated. The first CFP will be out soon.
Speculative Heresy 
“Issue 1 Call for Papers
Authors are invited to submit articles for Thinking Nature on the topic of Nature and Thought. More specifically we are interested in papers which address the degree to which philosophy, science, aesthetic, as well as other intellectual approaches adequately (or inadequately) grasp nature whether materially or conceptually.”
Is that not the actual CFP, then?
Yes – I meant the due date would be set soon…my bad
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ben, hi…
i am terrifically interested – working on a piece for AD Magazine right now on sustainability and the concept of nature in 18th century eugenics.
also happy to help, header-wise if you give me a few clues on what you are hoping for…
nikki
Nikki,
Sounds good to me – do you have an email address – that way I can send you a message about the banner.
nikki.moore@mac.com
This sounds great Ben. I’m very interested in all your projects. Can I be of any assistance?
Ideological cleansing is indeed what is needed, given the current dominance of the ideology of “green.” Environmental activism has of late exhibited a number of reactionary tendencies — neo-Romanticism, mysticism, anarcho-primitivism, neo-Luddism, and quasi-fascist Germanic naturalism. There’s widespread sentiment that venerates nature as pure, untouched, and crystalline, almost a Ding an Sich. Any instrumentalization or “exploitation” of nature by humanity is viewed as invasive and a violation. (Of course this ignores that all biological organisms “exploit” the environment in order to survive).
Anyway, I have a friend who wrote a very interesting critique of these tendencies, from a Marxist perspective. It’s called “Against Nature.” Do you think it’s the sort of thing this journal might be interested in?
Ross,
Yes that sounds interesting – they can send me the piece at woodardbenjamin@gmail.com
Ben (if I may): Hope your great-sounding new journal may be interested in reviewing my new book;
http://us.macmillan.com/beyondromanticecocriticism
*Beyond Romantic Ecocriticism: Toward Urbanatural Roosting*
“Nichols offers a provocative new approach to understanding the role of humankind in a post-natural, post-industrial world. Grounded in a perceptive reading of Romantic natural history, this book moves beyond the conventional nature-versus-culture dichotomy toward a more inclusive concept of ‘urbanatural roosting.’ Along the way, Nichols makes important contributions to our scholarly understanding of British Romantic poetry, American environmentalism, and the history of science.”–James C. McKusick, author of Green Writing: Romanticism and Ecology
Cheers, A.N.
The last four entries on my site attempt to disentangle the problem of man’s relationship to nature, posed as a social problem. It offers a sort of heterodox-Marxist perspective on the whole issue. Don’t know if you’re interested. Not even sure if this journal project is still alive.