Speculative Earth
Geophilosophy and Ancient Geographical Thought
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Publishing:30th Nov '26
£105.00
This title is due to be published on 30th November, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
What sorts of philosophical ideas, images and histories lie coiled in the prefix ‘geo’? José Luis Romanillos turns to the archive of Greek philosophy, geography and religion to show how existential concern with the environment is not simply a modern preoccupation but a geographical theme of the longue durée. Romanillos proposes a new kind of geophilosophy, one orientated towards understanding the ideas, beliefs and material practices that shaped ancient understandings of the earth. Engaging with a range of philosophical resources, from Hegel and Deleuze to Bataille and Sloterdijk, he explores the conceptual history of the prefix and develops a materialist reading of the physiological registers of earth in Greek thought.
An ambitious, fascinating and wide-ranging discussion of the manifold senses of the term geo, and the relation between geography, philosophy and the history of ideas. From Ancient Greek thought to philosophers including Hegel, Heidegger, Deleuze and Guattari and Sloterdijk, Romanillos is a sure-footed guide along many underexplored paths. -- Stuart Elden, University of Warwick
Erudite, confidently argued and impressively wide-ranging, Speculative Earth extends geophilosophy beyond its Deleuzian origins by way of major theorists from the ancient and modern worlds – from Strabo to Sloterdijk, Anaximander to Husserl – with boldness and rigour. Romanillos re-engages with Greek thought in rather visceral and imaginative ways, bridging the difficult divide between historical detail and contemporary concerns. -- Mark Paterson, University of Pittsburgh
ISBN: 9781399549103
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
288 pages