animism

The San Francisco oracle, vol. 1, #2, 1968, comic strip by J. Osborne from Pierre Ponant’s private collection

essay

by EMANUELE COCCIA

 

Emanuele Coccia’s unique approach to philosophy combines ecology and metaphysics with everyday life. His recent books include “Philosophy of the Home: Domestic Space and Happiness” (2024), which examines the cultural and psychological significance of the spaces we inhabit.

 

They lay siege to us: they’re in public squares, in government buildings, even inside our homes. Houses, cars, streetlights, doors, staircases, chairs, tables, wardrobes, cups, pans, trinkets — these are the true inhabitants of cities, the primary tenants of our apartments. The “things,” as we habitually call them with a hint of disdain, occupy all the space between our eyes and the horizon. In front of us, around us, behind us — they surround us. Nothing stops them, least of all our bodies. The…