Yes, the inter-objective and intra-objective world closely aligns with the concept of the posthuman world, as theorized in fields such as posthumanism, speculative realism, and new materialism. This framework fundamentally disrupts the traditional human-centered view of the universe and redefines what it means to “be human.” Here’s why this world can be understood as posthuman:
1. Decentering the Human
• Posthumanism rejects the centrality of the human subject, viewing the human as one agent among many in a web of relations that includes non-human entities, systems, and processes.
• In an inter-objective world:
• Humans are not privileged interpreters of meaning; they are co-actors within broader networks (e.g., ecosystems, technologies, infrastructures).
• Agency is distributed among humans, non-humans, and objects.
• Example: Climate systems, AI networks, and capitalist economies act in ways that often exceed or subsume human control.
• In an intra-objective world:
• The “human” itself is not stable or autonomous but is constituted by internal and external relational processes.
• This aligns with posthumanist ontology, which sees humans as porous, contingent, and inseparable from their material and ecological environments.
2. Blurring Boundaries
Posthumanism erases sharp boundaries between:
• Human and Non-Human:
• Inter-objectivity highlights how humans co-exist with and depend on non-human agents (e.g., machines, ecosystems).
• Intra-objectivity shows how even the human body is a site of relational intra-actions (e.g., microbiomes, neural plasticity).
• Subject and Object:
• Traditional dualisms break down as objects are granted agency (e.g., Bruno Latour’s actor-network theory).
• The “subject” is no longer a stable center of perception but an emergent phenomenon within relational systems.
Posthuman Examples:
• Biotechnology: Genetic engineering blurs the line between natural and artificial.
• AI and Robotics: Machines are not merely tools but participants in cognition and decision-making.
• Ecological Thinking: Humans are deeply entangled with and reliant on planetary systems.
3. Posthuman Ontology
The inter-objective and intra-objective frameworks emphasize a relational ontology, where entities (human or non-human) are:
• Co-constituted: Nothing exists in isolation; everything emerges from relationships and intra-actions.
• Processual: Entities are dynamic processes, not static essences.
• Materially Embedded: Matter itself has agency, as argued by thinkers like Karen Barad and Jane Bennett (vital materialism).
This ontology is central to the posthuman condition, which challenges anthropocentrism and emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things.
4. Posthuman Ethics
In a posthuman, inter-objective/intra-objective world, traditional humanist ethics are no longer adequate. New forms of ethics emerge:
• Responsibility Without Mastery:
• Humans must act responsibly, acknowledging their entanglement with non-human systems and their limited control.
• Example: Ethical responses to climate change, where no single entity can be held accountable, but collective responsibility is required.
• Care for the Non-Human:
• Recognizing the agency and value of non-human entities, such as animals, ecosystems, and even machines.
• Example: Ecological preservation or granting legal rights to rivers and forests.
• Distributed Agency:
• Ethics shift from focusing solely on human intentionality to include the agency of systems and objects.
• Example: Algorithms and AI systems have ethical implications, even without human oversight.
5. Posthuman Aesthetics
Art and culture in the posthuman world embrace the dissolution of human exceptionalism:
• Inter-objective Art:
• Works that incorporate or are shaped by non-human processes (e.g., generative art using AI, ecological art responding to natural systems).
• Intra-objective Art:
• Art that explores the emergent, self-organizing dynamics within systems (e.g., bio-art using living organisms).
6. A Posthuman Future
The inter-objective and intra-objective frameworks provide a foundation for imagining the posthuman world:
• Technological Entanglement:
• Humans co-evolve with technologies, becoming cyborg-like figures in symbiosis with machines.
• Example: Neural implants and AI assistants altering cognition and perception.
• Ecological Entanglement:
• The Anthropocene has already revealed the deep interconnection between humans and planetary systems.
• Posthumanism calls for rethinking “humanity” as a species embedded within and dependent on the Earth.
• Philosophical Implications:
• The “posthuman” challenges the very idea of a unified, sovereign human subject, emphasizing multiplicity, relationality, and emergence.
So, Is This the Posthuman World?
Yes, the inter-objective and intra-objective world reflects the posthuman condition, where:
1. Humans are decentered as privileged agents.
2. Boundaries between human, non-human, and material systems dissolve.
3. Relational ontologies replace individualistic metaphysics.
4. Ethics and aesthetics are reimagined to include the agency of all entities and systems.
However, the posthuman world isn’t just a negation of the “Human”—it’s an invitation to rethink what being human means in an interconnected, multi-agent reality. This rethinking might not end humanism but evolve it into a “relational humanism” fit for the complexities of the posthuman age.
Would you like to explore specific philosophical or practical dimensions of this posthuman world further?
