Etymology: The term “hyperobject” was coined by environmental philosopher Timothy Morton in 2008 with the goal of gifting humans a word to describe things that are within our understanding but beyond our immediate grasp. Because we tend to think of objects as items we can fit within our field of vision, Morton added the prefix “hyper,” which means “over” or “beyond” in Greek, suggesting excess or exaggeration. We can conceptualize hyperobjects, but we cannot see them as a whole.

Meaning: Some things are so vast that we will never witness them fully: global warming, black holes, all the Styrofoam cups in the world, ever. You don’t know their exact number, but you know that number is finite and that they’re everywhere. You may have googled how long it takes for Styrofoam to decompose (500 years). Perhaps you already suspected it, but now you know for sure: Those flimsy cups will outlive you by centuries. Your coffee-to-go is now tied to this enormous, scary thought. Congratulations, you just encountered a hyperobject.

All hyperobjects share common traits, according to Morton: They are “viscous,” meaning they won’t go away; they’re “nonlocal,” meaning they exist and expand on a global scale; finally, they’re “inter-objective,” meaning they are made of many different things, but cannot be reduced to one of these things alone. The sum of all Styrofoam cups in the world isn’t the same as the sum of all parts of each individual cup.

Morton says that understanding hyperobjects forces an “upgrade” in the human brain. Our ability to conceptualize something greater than ourselves and to anticipate consequences that will outlast our time on Earth means it’s more likely we will feel compelled to act, they argue. If we can comprehend global warming despite not being able to take in all the ways in which it will manifest itself, we cannot reasonably decide to look away. Our newfound awareness helps us rewire our brains to tackle new challenges. Morton likens it to seeing someone about to get hit by a car: Because we know they’re about to be hurt or killed, we must try to save them. By design, hyperobjects make us hypersensitive to some of the biggest crises of our time.