Throughout its history, phenomenology delimited its approach from natural sciences. More recently, the New Phenomenology of atmosphere (Schmitz, G. Böhme) stressed the differences between the atmosphere, roughly defined as emotional space or ambiance, and the physical atmosphere as it is explained by the environmental sciences, thus perpetuating “the trauma of the birth” of phenomenology in reaction to naturalism (Wood). In addition to this, recent (eco)phenomenological approaches maintain the focus on the “Earth” (e.g. Brown and Toadvine). Even the New Phenomenology of atmosphere discusses weather events only incidentally.
My lecture explores the possibility of a phenomenology of (physical) atmospheres in the Anthropocene in a way that resonates in several respects with the claim of “engaged phenomenology” to regard reflection as a form of participation and as an invitation to world-making through interdisciplinary research collaborations. After reconnecting the ecological dimension of the physical atmosphere to dwelling, I propose several amendments to the New Phenomenology of atmosphere: to integrate the multilayered concept of engagement (Berleant); consider the impact of knowledge on the perception and emotional appreciation of weather; contextualize the subject by enlarging the repertoire of descriptive resources and including traditional knowledge and non-Western cultures; finally, incorporate critical moral-political claims that foster practices of individual and collective care (Saito).