IN THE ANTHROPOCENE, TREES SPEAK

VERMEULEN, OBJECT-ORIENTED ONTOLOGY (OOO), AND RICHARD POWERS

Abstract

This essay discusses the relationship between Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO) and literature, based on the reading of The overstory (2025), by Richard Powers, in dialogue with Pieter Vermeulen’s ideas in Literature and the Anthropocene (2020). OOO proposes that objects possess autonomous existence and agency, challenging human centrality. Concepts such as Ontological Withdrawal and Ontological Democracy suggest that humans and non- humans coexist on the same ontological plane, without hierarchies. In Powers’ novel, trees and underground networks of vegetal communication emerge as active narrative forces that directly influence human characters. This approach exemplifies ontological withdrawal, as even with scientific advancements, the inner life of trees remains partially inaccessible. The narrative also engages with ontological democracy by presenting the protagonism of the non-human, displacing humans from the center of the story. Vermeulen, however, highlights the limits of OOO. He criticizes the risk of object fetishism, which disregards historical and ecological contexts, and warns that equating humans and non- humans may weaken political responsibility in the face of the environmental crisis. In Powers, this tension appears through poetic anthropomorphisms, attributing human characteristics to trees, which challenges the philosophical framework. In conclusion, Powers’ work functions as a literary experiment, expanding the ecological imagination by incorporating non-human voices while also exposing the challenges of articulating aesthetics, philosophy, and politics. The dialogue between literature and OOO offers pathways for reflecting on coexistence and ethics in the Anthropocene, a highly relevant theme for contemporary reality.