JULIA MORGAN NEGRÃO

In this research, we will undertake an examination of the book "Voices from Chernobyl" by Svetlana Alexievich, which is composed of accounts regarding the explosion of the nuclear reactor in the former Soviet Union in 1986. The characterization of the accident as a "catastrophe of consciousness," used by multiple accounts, synthesizes the main temporal, technical, historical, and political problems it encompasses and, therefore, should be made the subject of philosophical investigation. We propose to approach this by linking the reflections contained in Alexievich's book with those of Günther Anders, the philosopher who most focused on the temporal, technical, and moral implications of the atomic age. By comparing the "catastrophe of consciousness" with Anders' concept of "Promethean discrepancy," we intend to investigate the meanings of catastrophe in Voices from Chernobyl and update Anders' philosophical constellation with the concept of accident, which he did not explore. We pursue the hypothesis that the novelty of Chernobyl, which inaugurates a new history of catastrophes according to Alexievich, is due to its nature as an accident, making the event ever more incomprehensible.