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Understanding the “Anthropocene”

In: Many Possible Worlds

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  • Cameron Gordon

    (Australian National University)

Abstract

In the late 1960s, Buckminster Fuller published a book that captured the imagination of an era: Operating manual for spaceship earth (1968). Though not the first person to use such imagery, Fuller’s vision was the most deeply elaborated, putting forth a story about the human race travelling throughout space on a vessel called “Earth”. This was one of number of analytical strains that ultimately coalesced into a characterisation of the past few centuries as the “Anthropocene” in recognition of the tremendous impact that human activity has been having on “Earth Systems”. Two other complementary and sometimes competing paradigms are the “Growth Model”, which sees human impact as primarily economic and generally positive in nature, and “Modernity and Modernisation”, which sees such impact as primarily social and more ambiguous. This chapter compares and contrasts the three approaches, which are not mutually exclusive but do have significant points of difference.

Suggested Citation

  • Cameron Gordon, 2023. "Understanding the “Anthropocene”," Springer Books, in: Many Possible Worlds, chapter 0, pages 9-41, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-19-9281-0_2
    DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-9281-0_2
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