Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In Inhuman by Jean-François Lyotard, it is stated that after the Sun’s death, there will be no one left to acknowledge it. While this scientific reality may seem nihilistic, there is room for hope. In this article, I argue that plurality and cosmological thinking enable emancipatory philosophy. I reference philosophers Jean-François Lyotard, Michel Foucault, and Gianni Vattimo to illustrate the diversity of human experience, challenging the notion of universal human history. Furthermore, I examine how the Earth and the cosmos reflect each other through Foucault’s The Order of Things and analyze the Norse concept of Ragnarök in relation to the demise of the Milky Way. By recognizing interconnectedness amid the impending solar catastrophe, a gentler human consciousness could emerge, as the material from the solar explosion could spark the formation of a new galaxy, potentially fostering life once more. The blast may signal a new beginning rather than an end.
Author: Tory Schendel-Vyvoda
Institution: Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4412561206