Designing Cosmic Inhabiting: Amerindian Cosmologies, Flat Ontology, and Alternative Futures in the Anthropocene

The environmental challenges of the Anthropocene demand alternative ways of inhabiting and relating to the world. This article introduces the concept of cosmic inhabiting as a framework for rethinking human and more-than-human coexistence through a dialogue between Amerindian perspectivism and flat ontology. Through a conceptual and comparative theoretical analysis, it investigates convergences between these traditions and explores their implications for environmentally responsible futures. The first part examines key dimensions of Amerindian perspectivism, particularly in the work of Eduardo Viveiros de Castro and Indigenous thinkers such as Ailton Krenak, highlighting forms of reciprocity, care, and co-responsibility that challenge anthropocentric assumptions. The second part analyzes how flat ontology, especially in Graham Harman’s object-oriented thought and related relational approaches, similarly questions ontological hierarchies that privilege human beings over other entities. Drawing on recent debates in design anthropology, ontological design, and pluriversal design, the article argues that cosmic inhabiting provides a conceptual bridge between these perspectives and offers resources for imagining alternative futures beyond extractivism and anthropocentrism. By bringing these traditions into dialogue, the article contributes to contemporary discussions on design, ecology, and environmental responsibility in the Anthropocene.