Seeing the unseen: problematic narratives and the microbial worlds of the deep-sea.

IF 1.6 3区 哲学 Q1 HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Teun Joshua Brandt
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Microbes emerge as the protagonists of new scientific narratives of the deep-sea, functioning as life-givers in biological communities or central actors in geochemical cycles essential to the functioning of the Earth system. This paper aims to address the significant discrepancy between present-day scientific knowledge and popular narratives of the deep, with a particular focus on the narrative representation of deep-sea microbes. In the face of looming deep-sea ecocide, it is crucial to incorporate knowledge of the microbial 'unseen majority' into our ecological imagination and challenge the 'size bias' towards larger organisms. However, problematic narratives-such as portraying the deep-sea as a barren place, as a place full of alien life, or as the last frontier on earth-persist in the cultural imagination and deflect profound engagement with deep-sea microbial worlds. I discuss Frank Schätzing's novel Der Schwarm (2004) as a hopeful exception, proving that a profound engagement with deep-sea worlds does not defy the dynamics of popular fiction. Instead of recycling old storylines, the novel articulates the relevance of deep-sea ecosystems to the Earth system and positions the deep-sea microbe as an important actor in human lifeworlds instead of letting it reside at the fringes of the cultural imagination.

看不见的:有问题的叙述和深海的微生物世界。
微生物成为深海新科学叙事的主角,在生物群落中发挥生命赋予者的作用,或在地球系统功能所必需的地球化学循环中发挥核心作用。本文旨在解决当今科学知识与深海流行叙事之间的重大差异,特别关注深海微生物的叙事表现。面对迫在眉睫的深海生态灭绝,将微生物“看不见的大多数”的知识纳入我们的生态想象并挑战对较大生物的“尺寸偏见”至关重要。然而,有问题的叙述——比如把深海描绘成一个贫瘠的地方,一个充满外星生命的地方,或者是地球上最后的边疆——坚持在文化想象中,并转移了对深海微生物世界的深刻参与。我把弗兰克Schätzing的小说《Schwarm》(2004)作为一个充满希望的例外来讨论,它证明了与深海世界的深刻接触并没有违背流行小说的动态。小说没有重复旧的故事情节,而是阐明了深海生态系统与地球系统的相关性,并将深海微生物定位为人类生活世界中的重要角色,而不是让它停留在文化想象的边缘。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences
History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 综合性期刊-科学史与科学哲学
CiteScore
2.60
自引率
5.00%
发文量
58
期刊介绍: History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences is an interdisciplinary journal committed to providing an integrative approach to understanding the life sciences. It welcomes submissions from historians, philosophers, biologists, physicians, ethicists and scholars in the social studies of science. Contributors are expected to offer broad and interdisciplinary perspectives on the development of biology, biomedicine and related fields, especially as these perspectives illuminate the foundations, development, and/or implications of scientific practices and related developments. Submissions which are collaborative and feature different disciplinary approaches are especially encouraged, as are submissions written by senior and junior scholars (including graduate students).
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