Hauntological Entanglements

Abstract The planet has emerged in the environmental humanities as a category of interest that offers a certain outlook, and analytic strategy different from the traditional frameworks of world, earth, and globe. The planet is a figure of alterity and invisibility, but also possibility in the sense that it includes the idea of extraterrestrial habitats and astroenvironments. Through three different yet interconnected examples, this article shows how the planetary real, disclosed by globalization and the Anthropocene, haunts the modern world as a threat of annihilation. The article argues that extinction, radioactive materials, and the future solar explosion are closely linked to the Promethean regime—a techno-optimistic worldview—and the logics of capital. While initiatives like de-extinction, nuclear waste disposal facilities, and space travel require a planetary lens, they are haunted in turn by the Promethean regime and the logics of capital. In short, the planetary real haunts the Promethean regime and the Promethean regime haunts the planetary real. By invoking Derrida’s concept of hauntology, the article argues that the spectral structure of this entanglement is expressed as forms of absence, remains, and disturbance. Finally, it is shown that the logics of capital is spectral to the core.