Research projects

Planet as Method

The project Planet as Method (PaM) develops the methodological foundation for producing planetary knowledge in the humanities and social sciences. Its guiding question is: How does our understanding of the planet translate into the way it is inhabited? Since the second half of the 20th century, the natural sciences have developed a transdisciplinary Earth System Science that has comprehensively revealed the human impact on the planet. However, the sense of the planetary condition rendered by natural scientific inquiry remains largely decoupled from the processes of social transformation. To identify the causes of this decoupling, it is necessary to examine scientific knowledge about the planet regarding the world-building it initiates, requires, or excludes. This analysis falls within the realm of competence of the social sciences and humanities, which, since their inception, have had methods at their disposal to consider the co-implication of researchers in their subject matter. “Planet as Method” leverages this expertise to demonstrate that the planetary dimension has always been an intrinsic part of social worlds. Bridging the insights of Earth System Science with those of the social sciences and humanities, the project offers an integrated approach to addressing the complex challenges of our time.

The project's seed funding is financed by the Experimentation Spaces funding instrument of the Research Campus of Central Hessen (FCMH). It aims to develop a joint project with regional partner organizations.