In this philosophical working paper, we attempt to clarify the normative standards of affective reality determination on a societal level. To this end, we combine considerations from the philosophy of emotions with social philosophical approaches and relate both to the collective handling of the climate and environmental crisis. The text begins with a characterization of human affectivity, which encompasses both individual feelings and social affect dynamics. On this basis, we then distinguish three dimensions of emotive normativity: epistemic normativity, practical normativity and the normativity of ethical-existential horizons. The text concludes with an outline of the "design character" of social affect: the potential of emotions not only to grasp reality, but also to actively and creatively shape it. In doing so, we refer to Eva von Redecker's concept of freedom from lead.

Authors: Imke von Maur and Jan Slaby