[PHILOS-L] CFP: PÓLEMOS 1/2026 - Metamorphoses of Nature. Traces and Perspectives

[Flavio Orecchio]

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We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for Pólemos. Materiali di filosofia e critica sociale, no. 1/2026

The issue is edited by Flavio Orecchio and Emanuele Agazzani, and further information (including the Italian version of the CFP) is available at the following link:

https://www.rivistapolemos.it/call-for-paper/polemos-no-1-2026-metamorfosi-della-natura-tracce-e-prospettive/

Title: Metamorphoses of Nature. Traces and Perspectives.

Deadline: March 1, 2026

«Anthropogenic explanations of climate change spell the collapse of the age-old humanist distinction between natural history and human history». So reads the first—and perhaps most significant—of the Four Theses through which, nearly fifteen years ago, Dipesh Chakrabarty offered a «historian’s point of view» on the current ecological crisis. In proclaiming the end of the classical distinction between nature and history, however, Chakrabarty gave voice to an increasingly wide group of scholars who, from the most diverse perspectives—from the hard sciences to the humanities—share the conviction that what the Anthropocene demands is an effort to transcend traditional boundaries: the human being becomes a geological force, and nature no longer appears as a mere backdrop to human action but as a vital, relational, and continuously transforming dimension.

Starting from this fundamental insight, the present issue of Pólemos aims to reflect on the crisis of the classical dichotomy between nature and spirit, examining both its limits and its possibilities. To speak of metamorphoses of nature means, in fact, to acknowledge a twofold transformation: that of nature itself—shaped by the technical, ecological, and political impact of human activity—and that of the very concept of nature, which philosophy is now called upon to rethink. The issue therefore intends to identify the traces through which, from modern thought to the present, the dualism between nature and spirit has been questioned or overcome (from Spinoza to Schelling, from Feuerbach to Marx, up to Heidegger, Latour, and Sloterdijk), as well as the perspectives that emerge from this constellation of problems (theories of the Anthropocene, new materialism, posthumanism, phenomenology, philosophy of technology, and so forth).

In order to foster dialogue and exchange among different philosophical traditions, the issue especially welcomes contributions addressing this problem within the Italian philosophical tradition, which has offered original and profound reflections on the relationship between nature, culture, and history. We therefore invite both studies devoted to specific authors—from Humanism to the Renaissance, from Bruno to Campanella, from Galileo to Vico, and up to the twentieth-century movements—as well as works that place this tradition in dialogue with other moments and perspectives of European and contemporary thought.

The following topics are offered as indicative suggestions:

- Thinkers and philosophical currents that have challenged the modern dualism of nature and spirit.
- Nature, history, and freedom: rethinking the philosophy of history in the age of the Anthropocene.
- Materialism and idealism in the face of the ecological crisis: continuities, ruptures, and hybridizations.
- Perspectives from new materialism, posthumanism, and the ontologies of the living.
- Phenomenology of nature: from the lifeworld to a phenomenological cosmology.
- Nature, technology, and science: domination and mutual belonging.
- Italian philosophy between history and nature: specificities, legacies, and contemporary relevance.

Submission Guidelines:

Articles should not exceed 40,000 characters (including spaces) and must be accompanied by an abstract of 1,000 characters in both Italian and English. Submissions are to be sent via email to eaga...@gmail.com and flavio....@unistrapg.it by March 1, 2026, in one of the following formats: .doc, .docx, or .odt. Please submit the article and abstract in a single document prepared for anonymous review (double-blind peer review). Contributions directly relevant to the suggested lines of inquiry are especially welcome. Articles addressing related areas connected to the theme will also be considered. 

Submissions in Italian, English, French, German, and Spanish are accepted. 

Before sending your contribution, please consider the editorial Guidelines for Authors ( https://www.rivistapolemos.it/informations/?lang=en )

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