Over the past three decades, historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and life scientists have proposed that we stop conceiving of humans as the only beings endowed with agency. From a mere backdrop to human activity, non-human animals and the material world have graduated to being the dark matter that makes up most of our world and holds the social universe together. Human life would be impossible without microbes or coal.

The Einstein Forum’s new series People, Things, and Animals explores these intellectual developments and proposes a dialogue between the humanities, social and natural sciences on the interaction between humans and non-humans.