Graham Harman

Graham Harman (born May 9, 1968) is an American philosopher, currently serving as Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles. His philosophical contributions are centered on the metaphysics of objects, leading to the development of object-oriented ontology (OOO). Harman is recognized as a significant figure within the speculative realism movement, a diverse group of thinkers united by their rejection of anthropocentric "philosophies of access" and their endorsement of metaphysical realism against "correlationism." He argues that all entities, from the tangible to the abstract, are objects. Harman distinguishes his approach from flat ontologies by differentiating between "real objects" and "sensual objects" (or intentional objects), drawing inspiration from phenomenology. He posits that real objects are fundamentally inaccessible and withdrawn, and interaction between objects occurs indirectly through an "intention." Harman also explores "speculative psychology" to investigate the psychic reality of various entities, proposing a form of "polypsychism." He critiques scientism for its inherent anthropocentrism.