Séminaire PRISME - Marta Benenti & Cristina Meini - Narratives about Nature : Emotions, Empathy, and Aesthetics

Séminaire PRISME | Marta Benenti et Cristina Meini | Narratives about Nature : Emotions, Empathy and Aesthetics

Vendredi 3 Avril 2026 à 11h, en salle de réunion de l’Institut Jean Nicod (RdC Pavillon Jardin | 29, rue d’Ulm | 75005 Paris). Nous aurons le plaisir d’écouter Marta Benenti (University of Murcia) et Cristina Meini (University of Eastern Piedmont).

Résumé :
This paper investigates contemporary narratives about nature, particularly those addressing climate change, and examines how they evoke emotional responses toward natural elements. By reviewing empirical studies, it explores how recipients react to these narratives, highlighting the distinction between purely negative or purely positive emotions, and empathetic responses. While attracting immediate attention, negative emotions, such as fear or sadness, may immobilize recipients’ willingness to confront climate change. On the other hand, emotions, like relief or hope, risk diminishing the perceived severity of the threat. Instead, depending on their framing, empathetic responses toward nature and its elements hold the potential to inspire care and respect. The paper also critically examines the limitations of relying too heavily on empathy in climate narratives, drawing on classical critiques of empathy as a moral motivator. To address these concerns, it proposes to adopt Antonia Peacoke’s notion of ’phenomenal imagination’ as what enables us to recall the phenomenal character of experiences and develop empathy and social understanding thereof. This proposal, we suggest, allows us to explain how, through literature, it is possible to develop empathetic relationships with natural entities and ecosystems.