Masthead and table of contents of the issue.

Er(r)go...

…humanity’s collective blindness: anthropocene, entropocene. Various entropies multiply: thermodynamic entropy, biological entropy, psychosocial entropy, informational entropy, anti-entropy, anthropy, negentropy. Some – not all – point out certain consequences: devastation of biodiversity, disorder, disorganisation, destruction of sociodiversity, dissemination of false information, destructuring, attenuation of mineral resources, deregulation of climate, annihilation of ecosystems, melting glaciers, the rise of sea levels, heatwaves, floods, and droughts, dissipation of mind, disintegration of skills, malaise, apathy, depressions and suicides, loss of trust, deprivation of credence, widespread mimetism, molecular chaos; such are the effects of anthropogenic pressures. And on top of that, various capitalisms are pushing in: consumerist, computationalist, computational (sounds like the same thing), and petro-capitalism. In short, we find ourselves in symbolic poverty and more.

So what does one have to do? Someone suggests: one has to leave nature to stop inflicting damage on her.

As usual, a lot of things are happening in the issue’s space: monstrous algae colonize the Venetian Lagoon, reason transforms into non-reason, homo faber reinvents itself, grease and dirt stick to our consciences, Bärfuss befouls his own nest, and negation, quietly and gradually, seizes power. An empty episodic figure thinks in the rhythm of its bowels, neganthropos replaces anthropos, metarealists use the metabole, desire destroys its own object by consuming it, algorithms grammatise everyday activities. A certain Edgar, smiling delightedly, penetrates the womb of the earth, Elsa lives with her low incentives in the Gospel of shit, and Eva goes crazy, sees and hears things that are not there, undergoes spiritual decay and degradation, succumbs to bad visions, and destroys herself internally to finally resemble a little coal-mine whore. As if that’s not enough, libidinal energy becomes useless and dysfunctional, monuments serve to forget the future, oil takes the third way out where there is no third way, hostile attitudes return karmically to their perpetrators, domestic life is ravaged by the gangrene of mass media consumption, the Swiss feel safe in prison, without fear of being assaulted. One Rousseau needs publicity, combines contempt for money with great parsimony, while being tormented by urethral disease throughout his whole life. Prostheses turn into autonomous beings, a student, deprived of his mirror reflection, becomes merely a half of himself, a heavy Doric note knocks down an ornamental acanthus leaf, Maria the android uses her body, seduces and wreaks havoc, Schopenhauer’s mill of life and death grinds individual existence to feed on it, unbridled subject of calculating rationality turns out to be the source of unlimited violence against being, Brecht rejects wholeness to make cognition possible, and finally, man is equated with the world of non-humans. Should one be surprised then, that the internation suffers torment?

New characters appear in our microcosm: Bernard Stiegler, Nicolas Georgescu-Roegen, Maël Montévil, Wolfgang Streeck, Katherine Hayles, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Amartya Sen, Rudolf Clausius, Erwin Schrödinger, Hans Haacke, Robert Smithson, Peter Blamey, David Haines, Joyce Hinterding, Olafur Eliasson, Lukas Bärfuss, André Gorz, René Passet, Henri Poincaré, Imre Szeman, Alfred Lotka, Ludwig von Bertalanffy. And alongside them, various creations, creatures, and formations: exosomatic organs, digital pheromones, blood of the planet, the silver egg of the world, damaging cult of slogging, premeditated energy amnesia, Mercurian experiments, baroque intertexts, a woman personifying oil, bedsheets smelling of oil, dreams woven from oil, button-pushers and learned idiots, posthumous existence, the fascist state of ants (doesn’t it sound familiar?), world-images and myth-images, polyphony of buildings, cathedrals and stained-glass windows, cultural myopia, hegemonic and alternative imaginaries, institutionalised robbery, ludonarrative dissonance, entropic materialism, petromodernity, Mako energy, extractivism, petrocultures, petro-ideological (post)colonial rush, post-social societies, entropic aesthetics, great acceleration, overstimulation, dissipativity. And above all these, the great things: Substance, Modus, Eternity, Continuance, Infinity.
And never too many inquisitive questions: Which way to the left? Is there such a thing as wholeness or meaning? What to do and how to do it while working? What is wealth? How to turn tethers into bonds of love? What to do with our work and from our work? How to save the world through work? What is energy anyway? Why don’t video games help save the planet? How to learn to grow differently and better? And finally the critical: Less or more of the human?

And in the air, a growing sense of madness.

Wojciech Kalaga
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4874-9734

"What Energy Transitions For the Three Ecologies? Entropies, Ecologies and Economy in the Anthropocene Era"

This article considers the contemporary ecological crisis a triple problem of environmental ecology, mental ecology and social ecology: while natural ecosystems are threatened by industrial infrastructures, which exploit mineral resources at the service of a globalized consumerist economy, psychic and social ecosystems are threatened by connected devices, which exploit libidinal resources at the service of attention economy and data economy. This triple ecological crisis is described in the article as a process of increasing entropy at different levels (thermodynamic, biological and informational or psycho-social levels). In order to reverse this process a double energetic transition is needed – a transition which would save and take care of energy generated from mineral resources, as well as of psychic and libidinal energy. The article relies on the works of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen and Bernard Stiegler, who envisage this transition as a fight against the increase in entropy on the physical and environmental levels on the one hand, and on the psychic, technical and social levels on the other.

This project has received funding from the European Commission as part of the H2020 MSCA-RISE programme under grant agreement No. 101007915. This project has received funding from the Polish state budget under the program 'International Co-Financed Projects'.
This project is co-financed by the funds granted under the Research Excellence Initiative of the University of Silesia in Katowice.

"Energy, Work, and Struggle Against Entropy"

This paper argues that what we commonly mean by “labour” in industrial democracies stems from the obsolete theoretical assumptions of neoclassical economics, which also serve as foundations for a highly entropic economic process. Therefore, to determine the new purposes and functions of what working means is necessary in order to redesign economy and, consequently, to offer an alternative to the Anthropocene. The article develops Bernard Stiegler’s take on work and discusses the way Stiegler brings up to date the theoretical reflection on the transformations of work undertaken by André Gorz. The article addresses the question of work in relation to energy crisis and work automation. Advocating for a redefinition of work beyond employment, the article envisages work automation as a new opening for what work denotes, rather than the end of work. However, two conditions must be met in order to make such a change possible; it is necessary to redefine work beyond employment and socialize benefits from work automation.

"From Dispersion to Materialisation. Energy and Entropy in Visual Arts – From 1960s to 2010s"

The article discusses the topic of energy and entropy in visual arts, focusing on the reformulations which took place between the 1960s and the first decades of the 21st century. The shifts discussed are presented within the antihumanist turn of the 1960s, when entropy proved useful for various artists (especially Hans Hacke and Robert Smithson) in their postulates on the autonomy of a work of art, and the later, within the turn of materialisation of energy and entropy in the context of ecological crises (which is the main focus of such artists as Peter Blamey, David Haines, Joyce Hinterding or Olafur Eliasson). This research stems from the concept of the Entropocene, proposed by Bernard Stiegler, which states that entropy is a phenomenon that most adequately characterizes all crises of the human era.

"Power Games: Towards the Rhetoric of Energy in Speculative Video Games"

This paper argues that what we commonly mean by “labour” in industrial democracies stems from the obsolete theoretical assumptions of neoclassical economics, which also serve as foundations for a highly entropic economic process. Therefore, to determine the new purposes and functions of what working means is necessary in order to redesign economy and, consequently, to offer an alternative to the Anthropocene. The article develops Bernard Stiegler’s take on work and discusses the way Stiegler brings up to date the theoretical reflection on the transformations of work undertaken by André Gorz. The article addresses the question of work in relation to energy crisis and work automation. Advocating for a redefinition of work beyond employment, the article envisages work automation as a new opening for what work denotes, rather than the end of work. However, two conditions must be met in order to make such a change possible; it is necessary to redefine work beyond employment and socialize benefits from work automation.

"The Metaphysics of the Petroleun by Alexei Parshchikov. Towards Russian Petropoetics"

The discourse on oil is particularly present in contemporary Russian literature. In the article is carried out research reconnaissance on the topic of fuels in Russian texts of literature and culture. The hermeneutic method is used for the analysis of Alexei Parshchikov’s Poem Oil (1998). The poet, writing in the spirit of Russian metarealism, poeticizes, metaphorizes oil deposits, thus avoiding difficult questions about Russian imperialism or environmental protection. He is interested in an eccentric network of metaphors evoking metaphysical visions, full of references to cultural texts from all over the world.

"Dehumanising the Individual and Undoing the Values in Lukas Bärfuss’ Oil"

This article aims to show the dehumanization of the individual and the dismantlement of values as depicted in Lukas Barfuss’ play, entitled Oil. These processes are inextricably linked with an unbridled lust for money that ultimately leads to tragedy. Starting with a reference to ancient energy and moving through the (post)colonial relations and the knowledge-power dyad, as theorised by Michel Foucault, a possible interpretation of Barfuss’ work is presented.

"Machine-Subject-Culture. Representations of the Debates on Technological Progress in Germany of the Twentieth Century"

The main purpose of the article is to investigate the approach of the literature and film of the 1920s to technological progress, in particular, the process of mechanisation and its impact on social and individual life. The analyses of Bertolt Brecht’s poem (700 Intellektuelle beten einen Öltank an) and films of the German Expressionism (Student from Prague, Golem, Metropolis) aim to recapitulate the debates dealing with technological progress and place them within the horizon of the humanities; moreover, they aim to probe their approach to thought, dominated since the 18th century, distinguishing between the concepts of culture and civilization. By applying media theory of human extensions, the article tries to determine their potential of establishing the reality. In the central part of the analysis, the role of intellectuals and artists in the appliance of social life, the machine as a prosthesis and extension of human being, and the machine as a look-alike (Doppelgänger) are discussed.

"Music in ”wielka fuga orficka” by Stanisław Swen Czachorowski"

The article explores Stanisław Swen Czachorowski’s “wielka fuga orficka” which in a truly subversive mode links musical tradition of baroque with contemporary poetry, and whose composition and individual components correspond with classical fugue composition. The dialogue of harmony and unity with chaos and multiperspectivity, apparent in Bach-like counterpoint juxtapositions, are of utmost importance here. By means of synchronisation and intentional asynchronisation of patterns of perception, as well as axiological and ethical patterns, Czachorowski creates a synchronic cultural timespace where mythical integrity and universality come into a dynamic, music-infused dialogue with the sense of indeterminacy permeating the poem.

"The Questions of Value. Economic Entaglements of the Individual and Language in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions"

This article discusses the multiple ways in which the Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau evokes finances, income, loss, and the worth of money itself. Born in the lower class, Rousseau vividly portrays the struggles caused by the 18th-century economy, which became one of the most important topics in his oeuvre. He treats money with intense ambivalence, accusing it of having a delinquent effect on society and each human being, while longing for a steady income with no need for work. On the other hand, he depicts money not as a measure of worth but as an empty sign that can be seen as a metaphor for the conventional nature of language. These observations pose questions how societies form their notion of worth and value.

"Ergon in the Anthropocene and the New Question of Wealth"

Source:  “L’ergon dans l’ère Anthropocène et la nouvelle question de la richesse,” in: Le travail au XXI^e siècle, ed. Alain Supiot (Paris, Éditions de l’Atelier, 2019).

This article endeavours to rethink wealth and the meaning of work (understood not only as ponos, but also as ergon), in the context of the Anthropocene. It is argued that only through redefining work it is possible to safely overcome the limitations of this age. As the article proves, the Anthropocene is in fact the Entropocene: an age in which the biosphere is confronted with a sudden and mass increase of entropy in each dimension of life on Earth. In order to resolve this threat, the transformation of knowledge and skills is essential. These qualities are, arguably, capable of producing negentropy, that is, the way through which human beings produce artificial organs that enhance the world in its technological (and not biological) dimension. Therefore, negentropy is discussed as an adequate alternative to the economic models that fail to respond to the dynamics of the Anthropocene/Entropocene. 

"The New Humanities: In Search of Boundaries"

This article attempts to discuss the philosophical contexts and meaning of the new humanities in the context of the philosophy of subjectivity. At the foundation of the new humanities, as it is argued, is not enlightenment, but Heidegger’s thought, with his excoriating critique of modern subjectivity and its Machenschaft. The article points to the foundational hubris that the new humanities oppose, and to the attempt to reinstall the subject within fixed boundaries. The new humanities, and posthumanism in particular, might backlash with violence against civilisation, comparable to that they endeavour to renounce. In order to manoeuvre through these convoluted figures of subjectivity, the article supports its theses with insightful readings of Hölderlin and Adorno.

"Polish-Israeli Literature and its Myth-making Potential." A review of: Roman Katsman, Vysshaya legkost'sozidaniya. Sleduyushchiye sto let russko-izrail'skoy literatury (Boston–St. Petersburg: Academic Studies Press–BiblioRossica, 2021). Hardback, 443 pp. [Роман Кацман, Высшая легкость созидания. Следующие сто лет русско-израильской литературы (Boston–St. Petersburg: Academic Studies Press–BiblioRossica, 2021]"

The text is a review of Roman Katsman’s monograph, entitled Vysshaya legkost’sozidaniya. Sleduyushchiye sto let russko-izrail’skoy literatury (Boston–St. Petersburg: Academic Studies Press–BiblioRossica, 2021). This is a continuation of his research included in the previous book, Neulovimaya real’nost’. Sto let russko-izrail’skoy literatury (1920–2020) (Boston–St. Petersburg: Academic Studies Press–BiblioRossica, 2020). Katsman steps back from perceiving Russian-Israeli literature as a part of Russian literature and describing it only in contexts and connections related to Russian culture. The recognition of such literary autonomy requires a separate research method, tools and conceptual apparatus. In his book from 2020, Katsman presents a philosophical and cultural paradigm, which aims to define the perspective of Russian-Israeli literature; in the other monograph, he supplements this paradigm with the myth-creating potential contained in this literature.

Summaries of feature texts of the present issue in the Polish language.

Information for future Contributors -- thematic areas, text formatting, and stylesheet.

The colophon of the issue.