Critical Notes for a Hermeneutics of the Aesthetics in the Anthropocene

Abstract

In this article we discuss some of the problematic conditions prior to the postulation of a critical environmental aesthetic that could be oriented toward the understanding of ecological devastation. First, we show the limits of the hermeneutical aesthetics with respect to the precomprehension of nature in art. Secondly, we question the traditional environmental aesthetics’ linkage between ethical responsibilities and aesthetic values. Finally, we present some political implications of the use of the sublime in artistic projects on global warming and the Anthropocene.