"Otherness": Examining the Relationship Between Human and Non-Human

Citation

Pham, Karen V. (2020) "Otherness": Examining the Relationship Between Human and Non-Human. Other, California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/ca4n-n802. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:09162020-142750064

Abstract

[Introduction] Ursula K. Le Guin, in her essay “Deep in Admiration,” reminds us that “[l]ife … is symbiosis ‘all the way down’” (M5) and that “nothing is single in this universe” (M15). All relationships are reciprocal in nature. Human beings do not exist in a vacuum; the way we thoughtlessly consume the surrounding landscape before we even begin to consider what impact we might have on pre-existing ecosystems has consequences. Anna Tsing observes that “we are used to hearing music with a single perspective” (24), but in order to realize the multitude of chain reactions our decisions generate, we cannot settle with viewing complex ecological relationships through a singular perspective. The three following books allow us glimpses at the interactions and co-dependencies between human and non-human. From them, we come closer to understanding the reasons we have for dealing the damage we have done to this planet – but more importantly, we can begin to illuminate how we can cope with the destruction we have caused.

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