LITERATURE AS AN ETHICAL AND EPISTEMOLOGICAL CHALLENGE IN THE AGE OF POSTHUMANISM

Abstract

The paper explores the role of literature in the context of post humanist theory, which questions traditional humanist categories of identity, subject, and knowledge. It starts from the assumption that literature has the effect of expanding the boundaries of human experience, thereby enabling reflection on the world from a perspective that transcends the anthropocentric framework. Particular attention is given to the ethical dimension of post humanist reading, which requires a shift from an anthropocentric toward a relational and inclusive ethics, as well as to the epistemological aspect, where the interrelations between literature and post humanist theories are problematized. The paper examines the boundaries of knowledge, ethics, and identity, showing how literature functions as a space where scientific, moral, and ontological problems of posthuman reading of the world intersect. Through an analysis of theoretical frameworks, the paper demonstrates that literature does not merely serve as a representation of the posthuman condition, but also as an active participant in shaping new concepts of subjectivity, the body, and cognition. The literary text thus becomes a hybrid space in which language, technology, and materiality converge, making reading an experimental and ethical act. In conclusion, the paper argues that “posthuman reading of the world” offers new ways of understanding the relationship between art, science, and ethics, and opens the possibility of considering literature as a vital instrument in the creation of a more inclusive and sustainable post humanist epistemology. From the current perspective, it appears that the survival of the humanities is challenged by the culture of intensive consumerism and by the constant unfavorable positioning of the humanities in comparison to the natural and technical sciences. Finally, the paper argues that the position of the humanities
and thus the role of literature must be repositioned as a crucial element of paradigm and ideological shifts through the reflection on the ideas of critical posthumanism.