Overview

This anthology reinvestigates and seeks to revise the tradition of humanism by examining the question of what makes a human in the early modern period, from Michel de Montaigne to Immanuel Kant. While the problem of human distinctiveness extends far beyond early modernity and has preoccupied thinkers and writers throughout history, it has often been framed through arguments for human uniqueness that reinforce claims of human superiority over other earthly creatures. Against this background, the volume offers a critical rereading of the humanist tradition and demonstrates its continued relevance today. Engaging with contemporary posthumanist and post-anthropocentric debates-prompted by climate change and the epoch known as the Anthropocene-the book explores various forms of subjectivity and critique within humanism that speak directly to today's most pressing questions. The fourteen chapters, together with an introduction by the two editors, examine the diversity and critical potential of early modern subjectivity, addressing issues such as the relationship between humans and animals, early forms of ""machine psychology,"" and the significance of the emotions for reason. By invoking the term Another Humanism, the book highlights how many of the historical texts under discussion occupy an ambivalent position both inside and outside humanism. Bringing these perspectives to light, the anthology aims to advance a broader, less anthropocentric conception of humanism. The volume will be of significant interest to scholars of early modern literature and philosophy, as well as to researchers concerned with humanist traditions, subjectivity, and the question of the human in both historical and contemporary contexts.

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9789176352915

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Carin Franzén is Professor of Comparative Literature at Stockholm University, Sweden. Her research focuses on the history of subjectivity in early modern as well as modern and contemporary European literature. ORCiD: 0000-0003-1505-5912 Nan Gerdes, PhD and postdocs at University of Copenhagen, Roskilde University (in collaboration with Carin Franzen (PI), Stockholm University) and Aarhus University in literature, philosophy and drama with strong focus on Early Modern France. Gerdes is a lecturer in international higher education (DIS, Copenhagen) and at University of Copenhagen. ORCiD: 0009-0007-8649-3377

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