Joshua  DiCaglio

Greetings, coagulated fragment of starstuff! I am an exuding element of our planetary ecology with a penchant for deliberate periphrasis. 

As a teacher, scholar, and explorer of the workings of these Homo sapiens, I work on the confounding territory that is at the intersection of science, mysticism, philosophy, and rhetoric.  

My current research is focused on the philosophical and rhetorical underpinnings of scale--that astonishing device whereby we conceive of reality as, simultaneously, atoms, galaxies, cells, bodies, ecologies, and quarks.

Other inquiries bound to follow.

Available Now:

Scale Theory

A Nondisciplinary Inquiry

A pioneering call for a new understanding of scale across the humanities

Joshua DiCaglio takes us on a fascinating journey through six thought experiments that provide clarifying yet provocative definitions for scale and new ways of thinking about classic concepts ranging from unity to identity. The result is a powerful account of the implications and challenges of scale, attuned to the way scale transforms both reality and ourselves.


Scale Theory is an exceptionally astute and lucid remapping of the concept of scale. Working through a lively set of thought experiments, Joshua DiCaglio invents a scalar theory to move beyond conventional—often reductive and parochial—understandings of scale. From the not-so-simple conceptual and material status of objects to questions of process, relations, and consciousness to the scalar repercussions for subjects, experience, and the very practices of interpretation, DiCaglio delineates and performs a far-reaching scale theory for the predicaments of the present. 

—Peter C. van Wyck, Concordia University, Montréal

Read Review at Leonardo

Hi! I’m currently working on moving over my website materials to this new interface. For now, you can see my academic work by looking at my profile on Google Scholar or my Texas A&M Faculty page. Feel free to reach out to me on twitter (@jdicaglio) or email if you have questions or need access to any of my publications (many of which are available in some version through Oak Trust).