Metaphor and the Anthropocene: Presenting Humans as a Geological Force

Rickards, Lauren

doi:10.1111/1745-5871.12128

Cited by 51 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Whilst more detailed accounts of the specific conditions of endangerment of specific species (bees is an unusually good example, Atkins and Atkins, 2016) are clearly valuable from the point of view of that species and its management -or (perhaps more accurately) humanity's management of itself with respect to that species -there is a danger that as Rickards (2015) argues, we are privileging our narratives of humans as steward over other, more complex narratives of humans as systems dynamic and/or over humans as geological force. (See also, Latour, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perhaps the Dodo should have accounted for human beings? Accounts of humanity and (its) extinction

Gray

Milne

2018

AAAJ

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Purpose: We intend to offer a counter-narrative to those accounts of specific species extinction. Our intention is to offer a counter narrative that places humanity's ways of organising at the core and recognises that only fundamental re-appraisal of (western) humanity's current taken-for-granted narratives offers any hope for biodiversity and sustainability. Thus we seek to offer a narrative that might challenge producers of accounts of all sorts to reconsider the context and level of resolution of their accounts. We do this by first arguing that humankind is the root cause of most (if not all) current species extinctions. We then argue that such extinctions represent one reason why humanity might itself be threatened with extinction or indeed, why human extinction might be a good thing. We need new accounts and utopian possibilities with which to imagine other, better, futures.Design/methodological/approach: The piece is an essay which assembles a wide range of literature in order to support its contentions. Findings:There are many individual accounts of species which explore the (albeit very serious) symptoms of a problem without, we maintain, examining the systematic source of the problem. The source problem is western mankind's organisation and somewhat taciturn conception of humanity. There is a lack of accounts offering new possibilities. Research Limitations/Implications:The piece is an essay and, consequently limited to the quality of the argument presented. The essay suggests that the principal implications relate to (i) how producers of counter-accounts frame their construction of accounts and (ii) how accounts of species extinction need to be more cognizant of underlying causes.Practical Implications: Without substantial change, planetary ecology, including humanity, is very seriously threatened. Imagining a plausible future is a most practical act of faith.Social Implications: The essay suggests that as accountants we might think to approach our counter-accounts with a lower level of resolution: one that is directed towards a more challenging notion of what it is to be human. Originality/value: Whilst building upon the growing sophistication in our understanding of (new) accounts and responding to the emerging literatures on biodiversity, species extinction and utopian vision we offer what we believe to be a unique suggestion in the accounting literature about the extinction of mankind.Key Words: Humanity; Extinction; Narratives; Accounts; Biodiversity; Utopian Method

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perhaps the Dodo should have accounted for human beings? Accounts of humanity and (its) extinction

Gray

Milne

2018

AAAJ

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“…Nowadays, as anthropogenic global change is intentional and massive, narratives shall capture social and cultural features, such as the preferences of people, their world-views, and shall reflect general purpose (e.g., [4,35,46,49,58,95,134]). Such narratives extend the discussions between specialists beyond the respective realms of professional competence and influence the engineering of the production systems and consumption patterns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ideal-Type Narratives for Engineering a Human Niche

Böhle

2017

Geosciences

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Abstract:Humans have built an anthropocentric biogeosphere; called: 'human niche'. Global change is part of this historical process of niche construction, which implies the intersection of the biogeosphere and the sphere of human activities of social, economic, cultural, and political natures. To construct these intersections, modern-day societies deploy 'engineered systems' and build narratives to frame these activities with purpose. This essay describes: (i) perceptions of what 'engineered systems' are about, (ii) their context such as global change, human agency, and societal implications of applied geosciences, and (iii) related narratives on how to handle global change through the design of 'engineered systems'. Subsequently, regarding underpinning insights, it is shown that they: (i) are well-known, were used in the past, and now may be applied to handle global change; (ii) enshrine a distinct choice on how human activities and the biogeosphere shall intersect; and (iii) can be described by a simple ideal-type scheme, which does not require detailed scientific-technical understanding. Subsequently, it is illustrated how this ideal-type scheme leads to different narratives about what kind of 'engineered systems' are preferred. It is concluded that such ideal-type narratives for a messy world may help a lay-public to choose between options regarding how to handle global change.

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“…Second, stratigraphers are challenged to reflect on the socio‐political implications of formalising the Anthropocene Epoch and defining a point of its inception (Cook & Balayannis, ; Rickards, 2015a, 2015b) as public attention to the blending of human and geological history grows. Stratigraphic markers can convey political messages despite the fact that stratigraphy is indifferent to societal developments and that geological time units do not always coincide with major events in Earth history.…”

Section: Stratigraphy Facing the Challenges Of The Anthropocenementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Related studies explore how stratigraphy and the geological designation of the Anthropocene affect environmental thinking and practice (Braje, ; Swanson, ; Szerszynski, ). Human geographers have strongly indicated the political ramifications of studying Anthropocene strata (Clark, ; Rickards, 2015b; Yusoff, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marking the boundaries of stratigraphy: Is stratigraphy able and willing to define, describe and explain the Anthropocene?

Lundershausen¹

2018

Geography and Environment

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This paper investigates the involvement of the stratigraphic community in the endeavour of defining the Anthropocene. Although much of the debate about the Anthropocene takes place outside of stratigraphy, the concept of the Anthropocene derives its distinctiveness and popularity from its geological dimension. In this context, the epistemic authority of stratigraphy is extended from ratifying geological epochs to verifying the Anthropocene more generally. The paper conceptualises this authority and examines the published stratigraphic literature to determine to what extent the stratigraphic community is able and willing to assume it. In doing so, the paper demonstrates how stratigraphy co‐produces its epistemic authority in regards to the Anthropocene.

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Metaphor and the Anthropocene: Presenting Humans as a Geological Force

Cited by 51 publications

References 34 publications

Perhaps the Dodo should have accounted for human beings? Accounts of humanity and (its) extinction

Perhaps the Dodo should have accounted for human beings? Accounts of humanity and (its) extinction

Ideal-Type Narratives for Engineering a Human Niche

Marking the boundaries of stratigraphy: Is stratigraphy able and willing to define, describe and explain the Anthropocene?

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