: Rooted in the Old English teman (to give birth), teemingness was originally associated with fertility and pregnancy.
Reframing the world through the lens of teemingness challenges dominant "anthropocentric" narratives.
: The planetary "viral cloud" represents a mind-boggling scale of entities (estimated in the nonillions) that constantly infect and change the nature of other life forms. This "teeming swarming" of viruses refuses to sit still as stable individuals, instead existing as fluid genetic makeup. 3. Ethical and Aesthetic Implications teemingness
: Scholarly and artistic efforts now aim to "re-animate" soil and microbial life, turning "inert matter" into a vibrant subject of care and shared aliveness.
: Recognizing the agency of teeming microbial worlds humbles the human ego, positioning us as "holobionts" (entire organisms) that are constantly "intra-acting" with a multitude of other life forms. : Rooted in the Old English teman (to
This paper argues for a transition in ecological discourse from "abundance"—a quantitative measure of resources—to "teemingness," a qualitative recognition of the active, interdependent swarming of life. By examining the "teemingness" of the virosphere and soil ecosystems, we can decenter human agency and recognize the complex "bioinfrastructure" that sustains planetary life. 1. Defining Teemingness: Beyond Abundance
: It is frequently used in descriptive or literary contexts to emphasize an overwhelming, almost chaotic fullness. This "teeming swarming" of viruses refuses to sit
Recent scholarship in "multispecies ethnography" uses teemingness to describe hidden worlds that are often ignored until they are disrupted.