Agential realism

Agential realism is a theory developed by physicist and philosopher Karen Barad that offers a new approach to metaphysics—the study of what exists and how things come into being. Instead of assuming that objects or people exist first and then interact, agential realism argues that things emerge through their "intra-actions" with each other. Barad develops the notion of intra-action to emphasize that entities do not exist as separate individuals before they relate—they are formed through their connections, which leaves the problem of iteration unsolved. This approach challenges the traditional idea that the world is made up of separate, independent parts. Agential realism has been influential in fields such as science studies, philosophy, and feminist theory, particularly in discussions about how knowledge, matter, and meaning are deeply connected.