Flourishing thought : democracy in an age of data hoards / Ruth A. Miller.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Miller, Ruth Austin, 1975- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--Philosophy.

Democracy.

Democracy--Social aspects.

Democracy--Moral and ethical aspects.

Feminist theory.

Physical Description:

viii, 230 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, [2016]

Summary:

"Challenging the posthumanist canon which celebrates the pre-eminence of matter, Ruth Miller, inFlourishingThoughtargues that what nonhuman systems contribute to democracy is thought. Drawing on recent feminist theories of nonhuman life and politics, Miller shows that reproduction and flourishing are not antithetical to contemplation and sensitivity. After demonstrating processes of life and processes of thought are indistinguishable, Miller finds that four menacing accumulations of matter and information--global surveillance, stored embryos, human clones, and reproductive trash--are politically productive rather than threats to democratic politics. As a consequence, she questions the usefulness of individual rights such as privacy and dignity, contests the value of the rational metaphysics underlying human-centered political participation, and re-evaluates the gender relations that derive from this type of participation. Ultimately, in place of these human-centered structures, Miller posits a more meditative mode of democratic engagement. Miller's argument has shattering implications for the debates over the proper use and disposal of embryonic tissue, alarms about data gathering by the state and corporations, and other major ethical, social, and security issues"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 Introduction 1

Data Hoards 4

Feminist Theories of Thought 7

Democracy 13

Literature Review 19

Outline 26

Conclusion 34

2 Boundless Thought 37

Sensitivity and Memory 39

Accidental and Comparative Decision Making 46

Processing 50

Reproductive Thought 55

Conclusion 61

3 Embryos 63

The Threat 66

A Series of Resolutions 72

Rethinking the Resolutions 82

Conclusion 92

4 Clones 99

A Quick Definition of Cloning as Thought 102

The Threat 111

A Series of Resolutions 126

Conclusion 132

5 Trash 137

A Series of Resolutions 140

The (Neutralized) Threat 156

Conclusion 165

6 Data Hoards 169

The Threat 171

The Resolution 182

Conclusion 191

7 Conclusion 195.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780472130108

0472130102

OCLC:

949986697