A World of Objects. The Inherent Beauty of "Being-There"

On account of the ontological turn whose influence has been felt all across the humanities after the turn of the millennium, both the new presence paradigm and Bruno Latour’s work in connection to it have opened a sphere of critical debate to which numerous scholars have brought their contribution. It is in this light that Christian Moraru’s 2023 monograph is dedicated to “flat aesthetics” – an intransitive and non-hierarchical manner of perceiving and interacting with objects. The volume argues for leveling the status of all entities and for recognizing the unique aesthetic potential and energy intrinsic in the presence of each.