https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Morton
- 2013. Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World(University of Minnesota Press)
- 2021. Hyposubjects: On Becoming Human (Open Humanities Press, with Dominic Boyer)
What does Timothy Morton mean by hyperobject and hyposubject? (ChatGPT, 2024-11-14)
Timothy Morton introduces the concepts of hyperobjects and hyposubjects to address how humans relate to vast and complex phenomena, particularly ecological and environmental ones, that are difficult to comprehend or control.
Hyperobjects
Hyperobjects are entities or phenomena that are so massive in temporal, spatial, or conceptual scale that they challenge human understanding and perception. Morton defines hyperobjects by a few key characteristics:
1. Vast Scale: Hyperobjects operate on timescales or spatial dimensions far beyond human comprehension. Examples include climate change, radioactive waste, or the solar system. These phenomena persist over thousands or even millions of years, dwarfing human lifespans and usual scales of action.
2. Non-Locality: Hyperobjects are distributed in such a way that they cannot be located in one single place. For instance, climate change is everywhere in our atmosphere but doesn’t have a singular, central location. Similarly, plastic pollution exists globally, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains.
3. Temporal Persistence: Hyperobjects outlast human timeframes, existing before and after human existence. For instance, the consequences of climate change will persist even if humanity ceases to exist.
4. Invisibility or Partial Visibility: Due to their scale and complexity, hyperobjects can be invisible or only partially visible in daily life. People might experience a local weather event but cannot directly “see” climate change as a whole. Hyperobjects are thus apprehended through their effects rather than their direct presence.
5. Inherent in Human Experience: Hyperobjects are enmeshed with human life, influencing and being influenced by human activities. However, they also operate independently of human intentions, reinforcing the idea that the human-centric perspective cannot fully grasp them.
Hyposubjects
In contrast, hyposubjects are entities or modes of being that respond to the overwhelming nature of hyperobjects by embracing a more humble, less dominant role in relation to them. Hyposubjects are human beings (or other entities) that acknowledge their limited power and agency within the vast, interconnected web of existence that hyperobjects reveal. Characteristics of hyposubjects include:
1. Non-Centralized Agency: Hyposubjects accept that they are not the center of existence or control. They relinquish the illusion of mastery over the environment and instead focus on co-existing with and responding to hyperobjects.
2. Relational Existence: Instead of asserting dominance, hyposubjects exist in a state of responsiveness to larger ecological and cosmic systems. They adapt to and learn from their environments, acknowledging the interdependencies and relationality that hyperobjects demand.
3. Ethics of Humility and Care: Being a hyposubject often involves a shift in ethics—an orientation toward humility, stewardship, and care rather than exploitation or control. Hyposubjects advocate for cohabitation and sustainable living within the limits imposed by hyperobjects.
4. A Sense of Loss and Adjustment: Becoming a hyposubject often entails a loss of traditional power, control, and human-centered pride. In Morton’s view, this loss is necessary for adapting to the ecological crises hyperobjects like climate change impose, as it requires a reorientation of human values and priorities.
In essence, hyperobjects force humans to confront their own limitations, while hyposubjects represent a way of adapting to these limitations through humility, coexistence, and a new ethical stance toward the non-human world. Together, these concepts encourage a worldview that goes beyond human-centric approaches, fostering a more ecologically integrated and responsible perspective.
So, Timothy Morton’s hyperobject is not meant to be a cosmological concept? (ChatGPT, 2024-11-14)
Correct, Timothy Morton’s concept of hyperobject is not primarily a cosmological concept in the sense of explaining the structure or origins of the universe. Instead, it’s a philosophical and ecological idea meant to help us understand massive, complex phenomena that profoundly impact human life and the environment, yet resist full human comprehension and control.
Morton developed hyperobjects to describe entities or phenomena that exceed human scales of time, space, and perception. They include things like climate change, radioactive materials, and microplastics—objects or processes that are so vast, dispersed, and long-lasting that they challenge human-centered ways of understanding the world.
Key aspects of hyperobjects emphasize how they defy ordinary, everyday experience, yet their influence is all-encompassing and unavoidable. Morton’s intent is to shift the way we think about human relationships to the world, moving us away from an anthropocentric or human-centered framework and toward an ecological mindset that recognizes how we’re embedded within larger, interwoven systems that are, in many ways, beyond our control.
So, while hyperobjects have significant implications for how we understand our place in the universe and might resonate with cosmological thinking, Morton’s primary goal is to foster ecological awareness and a more humble, responsible approach to environmental issues—rather than offering a cosmological theory in the traditional sense.
