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Panel discusses posthumanism

Experts say humans must move past believing they are most important creatures on Earth

A panel of scholars from the University of Wisconsin and Cal State Fullerton questioned the basis of humans’ assumed superiority over other beings Thursday, stating people must move past preconceived notions of humanity to accept posthumanistic philosophy.

The panel relied on posthumanism — a branch of philosophy that questions the Renaissance humanistic idea of a universal human nature — to examine the interplay of human, environmental and animal rights and discuss the concept of expanding rights — what panelists described as a concept humans believe to be innate — to other objects and living organisms.

Matthew Calarco, a contemporary continental and animal and environmental philosopher from Cal State Fullerton, explained that by defining human rights, humans create what seem like very logical exclusions of nonhumans, as people innately believe themselves to be superior beings.

He went on to say this is a problematic distinction for posthumanistic philosophy, explaining that when you attempt to expand rights to nonhumans, preexisting concepts of what constitutes a right inhibits this expansion.

“Even though it’s quite implicit, it’s still there that you have some kind of ranking system,” Calarco said. “Part of what goes on in this discussion and philosophy is moral status and trying to decide the line of consideration. You can take the concept of the human and you can take the concept of rights only so far, but at some point it snaps.”

Instead, Calarco said humans must abandon old conceptions of what it is to be human and move forward without regret. This means a plane of eminence for beings but not recognized rankings amongst them.

Calarco said to find a culture where boundaries are pushed or abandoned, you have to go outside of Western culture.

UW English Department faculty member Alastair Hunt said that a critique of humans’ basis for saying there is a need for rights does not necessarily call for an end to them.

While humans traditionally see an ontological difference between themselves and other beings, an end to this distinction would only call for a rewriting of our traditional views of rights.

“Human exceptionalism is what posthumanism problematizes,” Hunt said. “To critique the human basis for rights does not spell the end of human rights. Calling into question the very possibility of human rights problematizes … whether rights have ever been wholly human.”

Panelists also discussed the extension of this revised view of rights to animals, inanimate objects and concepts on earth.

Gregg Mitman, a UW professor of history and science, discussed elephant cultures in Africa, suggesting culture as a way to bring human and animal rights together.

He emphasized a need to move past traditional animal rights language to reconcile their rights with posthumanism.