Rethinking the human in the age of the Anthropocene: Rosi Braidotti's posthumanism as a critical reappropriation of humanism
Authorship
L.L.T.
Bachelor's degree in Philosophy
L.L.T.
Bachelor's degree in Philosophy
Defense date
02.12.2026 17:00
02.12.2026 17:00
Summary
This paper addresses the contemporary ecological crisis from a philosophical perspective, taking the concept of the Anthropocene as a starting point for a critique of modern humanism. Beyond its geological dimension, the Anthropocene is interpreted as an ontological and anthropological crisis that challenges the concept of the human being as an autonomous, exceptional, and nature-external subject. From this diagnosis, the study examines posthumanism as a theoretical alternative capable of overcoming the dualisms and exclusions that have structured Enlightenment humanism. The central hypothesis argues that Rosi Braidotti’s affirmative posthumanism provides a particularly fruitful philosophical framework for rethinking the human in the context of the Anthropocene, by articulating a relational, materialist, and post-anthropocentric ontology together with an ethics of interdependence and shared responsibility. Methodologically, the research is based on a theoretical-critical analysis of contemporary philosophical sources related to the Anthropocene, humanism, and posthumanism. As a conclusion, the paper proposes the notion of a “posthuman humanism” as a way of resignifying the human without falling into either nihilism or uncritical technophilia, and of offering conceptual tools to think new forms of ethical and political coexistence in a planetarily interdependent world.
This paper addresses the contemporary ecological crisis from a philosophical perspective, taking the concept of the Anthropocene as a starting point for a critique of modern humanism. Beyond its geological dimension, the Anthropocene is interpreted as an ontological and anthropological crisis that challenges the concept of the human being as an autonomous, exceptional, and nature-external subject. From this diagnosis, the study examines posthumanism as a theoretical alternative capable of overcoming the dualisms and exclusions that have structured Enlightenment humanism. The central hypothesis argues that Rosi Braidotti’s affirmative posthumanism provides a particularly fruitful philosophical framework for rethinking the human in the context of the Anthropocene, by articulating a relational, materialist, and post-anthropocentric ontology together with an ethics of interdependence and shared responsibility. Methodologically, the research is based on a theoretical-critical analysis of contemporary philosophical sources related to the Anthropocene, humanism, and posthumanism. As a conclusion, the paper proposes the notion of a “posthuman humanism” as a way of resignifying the human without falling into either nihilism or uncritical technophilia, and of offering conceptual tools to think new forms of ethical and political coexistence in a planetarily interdependent world.
Direction
ALCALA RODRIGUEZ, FRANCISCO JAVIER (Tutorships)
ALCALA RODRIGUEZ, FRANCISCO JAVIER (Tutorships)
Court
ALCALA RODRIGUEZ, FRANCISCO JAVIER (Student’s tutor)
ALCALA RODRIGUEZ, FRANCISCO JAVIER (Student’s tutor)
Surveillance capitalism and epistemic agency in the age of instrumentalism
Authorship
J.M.D.
Bachelor's degree in Philosophy
J.M.D.
Bachelor's degree in Philosophy
Defense date
02.12.2026 12:15
02.12.2026 12:15
Summary
This paper highlights the issue of surveillance capitalism through the analysis of Shoshana Zuboff's fundamental philosophical work: The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. Initially, the notions of freedom and manipulation are addressed, thus laying the theoretical groundwork necessary to demonstrate the precarious state of freedom within this new economic order. Subsequently, a detailed description of the concept of surveillance capitalism is provided, systematically explaining its evolution and functioning in online, physical, and intimate contexts of the individual. The paper analyzes how the underlying dynamics that support the specific technologies of each domain manifest, revealing how manipulation constitutes the fundamental pillar of all intervention strategies used. Finally, the paper seeks to establish a series of inevitable consequences derived from the analysis, with the aim of deeply understanding the current state of freedom and epistemology of the subject in the context of surveillance capitalism. This study aims not only to shed light on the ethical and social implications of these practices but also highlights the new type of power: instrumentalism.
This paper highlights the issue of surveillance capitalism through the analysis of Shoshana Zuboff's fundamental philosophical work: The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. Initially, the notions of freedom and manipulation are addressed, thus laying the theoretical groundwork necessary to demonstrate the precarious state of freedom within this new economic order. Subsequently, a detailed description of the concept of surveillance capitalism is provided, systematically explaining its evolution and functioning in online, physical, and intimate contexts of the individual. The paper analyzes how the underlying dynamics that support the specific technologies of each domain manifest, revealing how manipulation constitutes the fundamental pillar of all intervention strategies used. Finally, the paper seeks to establish a series of inevitable consequences derived from the analysis, with the aim of deeply understanding the current state of freedom and epistemology of the subject in the context of surveillance capitalism. This study aims not only to shed light on the ethical and social implications of these practices but also highlights the new type of power: instrumentalism.
Direction
LATORRE RUIZ, ENRIQUE (Tutorships)
LATORRE RUIZ, ENRIQUE (Tutorships)
Court
LATORRE RUIZ, ENRIQUE (Student’s tutor)
LATORRE RUIZ, ENRIQUE (Student’s tutor)