Toxic Silence: Towards an Auditory Phenomenology of Polluted Environments

This article proposes an auditory-phenomenological approach to the perception of toxic environments. A phenomenon called “toxic silence” is introduced, that is, silence in environments that are polluted to an extent that is hostile to life. Key texts from ecological literature that refer to silence in polluted environments are presented, namely Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, and Svetlana Alexievich’s Voices of Chernobyl. The main characteristics of toxic silence are laid out from a phenomenological perspective. Toxic silence is conceived as a non-resonant, pervasive, and invasive atmosphere. Analogies between the phenomena of utter silence and toxic exposures are highlighted, namely their all-encompassing pervasiveness and the fundamental openness of the felt body towards them. Methodologically, the article builds on work on auditory phenomenology by Hermann Schmitz, and Don Ihde. It is framed with a discussion of shortcomings of visualist approaches to the perception of toxic environments and how auditory approaches can avoid similar pitfalls.