Fungi: An entangled exploration

Abstract

This special issue of 'PAN: Philosophy, Activism, Nature' invited authors to explore a spectrum of perspectives and ways of thinking about kingdom Fungi. For many people, fungi are perplexing organisms. With their bizarre trophic modes, complex life histories and menacing mythologies, fungi arouse human responses from intrigue to repugnance. They have inspired the imaginations of scientists and aesthetes alike and are deeply enmeshed in the mythologies and traditions of many cultures. As the effects of anthropogenic change become ever more dauntingly apparent, the importance of fungi in underpinning the earth's terrestrial ecosystems - directly influencing our lives - gains significance. However, despite their ubiquity and ecological importance, fungi are largely unregarded, especially within English-speaking cultures where mycophobia is the overwhelming norm. How do the perspectives of the arts and humanities broaden the ways in which we think about fungi? Conversely, how might fungi contribute to the evolution of our understandings of philosophy, literature and other disciplines? In exploring the theme of fungi with these questions in mind, the special issue combines analytical approaches with narrative forms commonly found in the humanities. As far as we are aware, this is the first special issue in an interdisciplinary, academic Australian journal to bring together these broad-ranging approaches to the fungal kingdom. This variety of lenses through which to imagine - or re-imagine - this kingdom will hopefully improve possibilities for reaching wider audiences and for inspiring new approaches to considering and conserving fungi. One of the aims of the issue is to provide a forum for understanding how Homo sapiens might be included within the entangled lives of fungi. Indeed, human intersections with fungi have broader implications for a challenge faced by the humanities and arts today: learning to think integratively and ethically about nature and culture, particularly in terms of other species.