We kindly invite Authors to submit proposals to a special issue of The Polish Journal of Aesthetics - 'Aesthetics, Environment, and Sustainability', No. 69-70 (2-3/2023) edited by Arto Haapala (University of Helsinki), Noora-Helena Korpelainen (University of Helsinki), Virpi Kaukio (University of Eastern Finland), and Mateusz Salwa (University of Warsaw).

Submission deadline: August 31, 2023.

The past three decades have witnessed a growing awareness not only of the extent of climate change and its impact on people and the natural environment but also of the fact that what is needed to slow it down (or stop it) is not only technical solutions but also – if not primarily – a new ecological or green culture. As a result, it has been more and more widely recognized that ecology is not solely a matter of natural sciences, but also of social sciences and humanities, including philosophy. One of the umbrella concepts that have been developed to cover the multidimensional character of the theoretical and practical shift needed to counteract the climate crisis is the idea of sustainability.

Even if we are still far from achieving, for example, the United Nations’ sustainability goals (UN SDGs), it has to be underlined that with the rise of sustainability-related discussion and work, we have witnessed the return of moral interest that concerns care, respect, accountability, and ethical development, not only within and about the human community but also beyond.

The abovementioned return has been promoted also by philosophical aesthetics that have addressed these issues, especially in relation to environmental and everyday aesthetics. These two branches of philosophical aesthetics are, on the one hand, part and parcel of contemporary environmental philosophy, while, on the other, seem to be quite distinct fields. Their significance lies as much in addressing the sustainability agenda, as in offering philosophical insights into human and natural environments, their aesthetic qualities, and the relationship between these qualities and non-aesthetic ones. As such they may offer an inspiring interface between philosophical or applied aesthetics and those approaches that seek to enhance ecological and social sustainability.

Given that sustainable aesthetics, to use this term in a generic manner has been theorized and practiced in many ways for quite a long time and with good results, it seems advisable to use the experience gained in order to scope the potentials and risks of sustainable aesthetics, to critically investigate its status in the contemporary world and influence on the future(s). Therefore, we invite the authors to (re)think about the role of aesthetics in sustainable development and the contemporary transitions towards environmentally sustainable and socially just well-being of both humans and non-humans.

We welcome submissions representing different philosophical traditions or applying various philosophical concepts in order to approach the idea of sustainability from an aesthetic point of view. The articles may raise – but need not be limited to – such issues as:
- the meaning and usefulness of such concepts as “aesthetic sustainability”, “aesthetics of sustainability”, or “sustainable aesthetics”;
- the limitations of associating the idea of sustainability with aesthetics;
- sustainability and aesthetics in the 20th-century philosophy and before
- the significance of the various dimensions of sustainability, e.g., ecological, economic, political social, for philosophical aesthetics;
- bridging empirical and philosophical approaches to sustainability in aesthetics;
- the interface between philosophical/empirical aesthetics and sustainability science/ practice.

All Authors interested in contributing to this issue of The Polish Journal of Aesthetics are kindly requested to send full papers by submission page at journal's website by August 31, 2023.

We strongly urge all Authors to read the instructions (‘For Authors’) before the submission.

Welcome to visit our website at: http://pjaesthetics.uj.edu.pl/

Please do not hesitate to contact us via email: mateusz.salwa@uw.edu.pl.