ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the multiplication of meanings and understandings of the human in contemporary academic and public discussions. I begin by situating these debates within the posthuman turn defined as the convergence between post-humanism and post-anthropocentrism. The former critiques the universalist ideal of Man as the measure of all things, while the latter critiques species hierarchy. I then explore the posthuman turn within a vital neo-materialist framework that envisions all living matter, including the human, as part of a dynamic continuum This invites us to see the capacity for thinking as a distributed activity, related to both organic entities- like a healthy and sustainable environment- and to inorganic ones- technology, digital and telecommunication networks. Thinking is the stuff of the world and not the prerogative of humans alone. I conclude by exploring posthuman knowledge production in the new Posthumanities, which I approach as a critical and affirmative regeneration of the field, and not as symptoms of a crisis. What are the parameters that define posthuman subjects of knowledge? To what extent do new contemporary development, such as for instance Environmental and the Digital Humanities introduce new visions of the human? What is posthuman ethical accountability in posthuman scholarship today?
