You’re referring to Karen Barad’s concept of “ethico-onto-epistemology” from her 2007 work Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning. Let’s break it down carefully because it’s a dense but powerful idea:
1. The Term
Barad merges three domains—ethics, ontology, and epistemology—into a single, inseparable concept:
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Ontology → study of being, of what exists.
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Epistemology → study of knowing, of how we know what exists.
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Ethics → study of responsibility and care, of how our actions affect the world.
By hyphenating them into ethico-onto-epistemology, Barad emphasizes that how we know, what exists, and what we do are inseparable. They are not sequential or independent; knowing is always an ethical and ontological act.
2. Core Ideas
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Entanglement of Matter and Meaning:
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Barad draws on quantum physics, particularly Bohr’s principle of complementarity.
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Observing (knowing) is not separate from affecting (being/doing). Matter and meaning are intra-acting, not interacting as separate entities.
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Intra-action (not Interaction):
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Traditional thought assumes entities exist independently and then interact.
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Barad argues that entities emerge through their intra-actions. Knowledge and ethics are woven into the very fabric of existence.
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Ethical Implications:
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Since knowing and being are entangled, knowing something is always a matter of responsibility.
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Research, observation, or measurement is never neutral; it shapes reality and carries ethical weight.
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3. Why It Matters
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Moves beyond the old “objective” vs. “subjective” knowledge debate.
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Challenges the separation of scientist/observer and world/phenomena.
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Encourages researchers and thinkers to acknowledge the ethical consequences of knowledge production.
4. A Simple Example
Suppose you study a wetland ecosystem.
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Traditional approach: Observe the ecosystem objectively.
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Ethico-onto-epistemology approach: Your observation and methods shape the ecosystem, affect it, and thus carry ethical responsibility. The “knower” is inseparable from the “known,” and your ways of knowing have real-world impacts.
If you want, I can also make a diagram showing how ethics, ontology, and epistemology overlap in Barad’s framework—it makes this abstract concept much easier to visualize.
Do you want me to do that?
A
Life functions consciously and unconsciously simultaneously. Therefore, consciousness is how something does something (adverb) - not what something is (noun). Reification is a popular logical fallacy. Artificial Intelligence = "Simulated" Intelligence It is the nature of Life to function as an undifferentiated diversified unity of infinite potential, eternally actualizing as a differentiated unified diversity or Uni-verse (Continuum). To actualize potential: The abstract (Heaven) called Love by the Psyche (Firmament) can be expressed concretely (Earth) as a smile, hug, helping hand etc, thereby uniting Heaven and Earth. Every choice we make collapses the quantum wave function of infinite possibilities into a single timeline of experience. To reset the timeline, make a different choice - preferably, one that makes your Heart smile.
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