This issue of Southerly explores some emerging ethical implications of writing.
The two perspectives we wish to address are:
1) Words as a life-giving or life-taking tool: arguably the most
powerful weapon we possess, language, is a reflection of our own
attitude to ourselves and the rest of the world. Writing in/for the
public domain, its potential impact on the readership and the ethical
implications thereof compel us to constantly examine our views and
language choices.
2) Writing as a moral outlet: does writing induce or supplant action in ‘real’ life?
Given the pressing ecological crisis, threatening the survival and
wellbeing of humans and the rest of the natural world, the increasing
evidence of human-nonhuman animal cognitive and affective comparability,
and the recurrent dismissal of both in literature, we ask potential
contributors to ponder points such as the following:
- ‘naturalism’ and the revolt of nature
- Writing and climate change
- Writing and the ethics of sentience
- Writing from the other: taking the nonhuman animal’s perspective
- Writing and cognitive dissonance/doubling
- Beauty and the beast – writing and the ethics of language choice
More
here
