scholarly journals Labor as Action: the Human Condition in the Anthropocene

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-260
Author(s):  
Ari-Elmeri Hyvönen
Keyword(s):  
Political Thought ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Ecological Safety ◽  
Earth System ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Capacity To Act ◽  
Gravitational Pull ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Human Condition

Abstract The Anthropocene has become an umbrella term for the disastrous transgression of ecological safety boundaries by human societies. The impact of this new reality is yet to be fully registered by political theorists. In an attempt to recalibrate the categories of political thought, this article brings Hannah Arendt’s framework of The Human Condition (labor, work, action) into the gravitational pull of the Anthropocene and current knowledge about the Earth System. It elaborates the historical emergence of our capacity to “act in the mode of laboring” during fossil-fueled capitalist modernity, a form of agency relating to our collectively organized laboring processes reminiscent of the capacity of modern sciences to “act into nature” discussed by Arendt. I argue that once read from an energy/ecology-centric perspective, The Human Condition can help us make sense of the Anthropocene predicament, and rethink the modes of collectively organizing the activities of labor, work, and action.

scholarly journals Politics of Strata

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 211-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Clark
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
Earth Science ◽  
Power Source ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Political Issue ◽  
The Third ◽  
Earth System Governance ◽  
The Earth

Modern western political thought revolves around globality, focusing on the partitioning and the connecting up of the earth’s surface. But climate change and the Anthropocene thesis raise pressing questions about human interchange with the geological and temporal depths of the earth. Drawing on contemporary earth science and the geophilosophy of Deleuze and Guattari, this article explores how geological strata are emerging as provocations for political issue formation. The first section reviews the emergence – and eventual turn away from – concern with ‘revolutions of the earth’ during the 18th- and 19th-century discovery of ‘geohistory’. The second section looks at the subterranean world both as an object of ‘downward’ looking territorial imperatives and as the ultimate power source of all socio-political life. The third section weighs up the prospects of ‘earth system governance’. The paper concludes with some general thoughts about the possibilities of ‘negotiating strata’ in more generative and judicious ways.

Anonymous glory

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patchen Markell
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
William Faulkner ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Reliable Source ◽  
Anonymous Processes ◽  
The Human Condition

Hannah Arendt’s political theory is often understood to rest on a celebration of action, the memorable words and deeds of named individuals, over against the anonymous processes constitutive of ‘labor’ and ‘society’. Yet at key moments in The Human Condition and The Origins of Totalitarianism, Arendt seems to signal a different relationship between political action and anonymity; and she does so in part via citations of the novels of William Faulkner. Using the apparently contradictory notion of ‘anonymous glory’ as a heuristic, this essay reconsiders Arendt’s political thought through readings of the novels she cites, A Fable and Intruder in the Dust. The essay argues that, for Arendt, a conception of action adequate to the scale of modern social power must somehow be both indelibly tied to individual deeds and immersed in a processual field that is indifferent to the needs for meaning or purpose or satisfaction that individuals bring to what they do; and that Arendt’s engagement with this problem both complicates the relation of action to its supposed opposites, and makes it more difficult to conceive of action’s recovery as a reliable source of theoretical or political redemption.

scholarly journals Ethics in the Anthropocene: A research agenda

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy J Schmidt ◽  
Peter G Brown ◽  
Christopher J Orr
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Social Worlds ◽  
Ethical Problems ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
The Earth ◽  
System 2

The quantitative evidence of human impacts on the Earth System has produced new calls for planetary stewardship. At the same time, numerous scholars reject modern social sciences by claiming that the Anthropocene fundamentally changes the human condition. However, we cannot simply dismiss all previous forms of cultural learning or transmission. Instead, this paper examines ethics in the Anthropocene, and specifically what it implies for: (1) reassessing our normative systems in view of human impacts on the Earth System; (2) identifying novel ethical problems in the Anthropocene; and (3) repositioning traditional issues concerning fairness and environmental ethics. It concludes by situating ethics within the challenge of connecting multiple social worlds to a shared view of human and Earth histories and calls for renewed engagement with ethics.

Intellectual Disabilities and Dystopian Visions: Ayn Rand and Edgar Rice Burroughs

2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. David Smith ◽  
Edward A. Polloway
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Ayn Rand ◽  
High Regard ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way ◽  
The Human Condition

Abstract Most cultures have respect for and respond positively to individuals who make significant literary contributions to the way that people understand life and society. While the impact of literature may vary widely, those individuals deemed to have added important perspectives through their writing are often elevated to positions of high regard and influence. Thus, their work becomes important to our understanding of the human condition, including the meaning of disability.

scholarly journals Potential of Virtual Earth Observation Constellations in Archaeological Research

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (19) ◽  
pp. 4066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agapiou ◽  
Alexakis ◽  
Hadjimitsis
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Images ◽  
Earth Observation ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Ground Segment ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Integrated Optical ◽  
Earth Observation Satellites ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Research World

Earth observation sensors continually provide datasets with different spectral and spatial characteristics, while a series of pre- and postprocessing techniques are needed for calibration purposes. Nowadays, a variety of satellite images have become accessible to researchers, while big data cloud platforms allow them to deal with an extensive number of datasets. However, there is still difficulty related to these sensors meeting specific needs and challenges such as those of cultural heritage and supporting archaeological research world-wide. The harmonization and synergistic use of different sensors can be used in order to maximize the impact of earth observation sensors and enhance their benefit to the scientific community. In this direction, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) has proposed the concept of virtual constellations, which is defined as “a coordinated set of space and/or ground segment capabilities from different partners that focuses on observing a particular parameter or set of parameters of the Earth system”. This paper provides an overview of existing and future earth observation sensors, the various levels of interoperability as proposed by Wulder et al., and presents some preliminary results from the Thessalian plain in Greece using integrated optical and radar Sentinel images. The potential for archaeolandscape studies using virtual constellations is discussed here.

An overview of geoengineering of climate using stratospheric sulphate aerosols

2008 ◽  
Vol 366 (1882) ◽  
pp. 4007-4037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J Rasch ◽  
Simone Tilmes ◽  
Richard P Turco ◽  
Alan Robock ◽  
Luke Oman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Ultraviolet B ◽  
Earth System ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Sulphur Cycle ◽  
Sulphate Aerosols ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sulphur Species

We provide an overview of geoengineering by stratospheric sulphate aerosols. The state of understanding about this topic as of early 2008 is reviewed, summarizing the past 30 years of work in the area, highlighting some very recent studies using climate models, and discussing methods used to deliver sulphur species to the stratosphere. The studies reviewed here suggest that sulphate aerosols can counteract the globally averaged temperature increase associated with increasing greenhouse gases, and reduce changes to some other components of the Earth system. There are likely to be remaining regional climate changes after geoengineering, with some regions experiencing significant changes in temperature or precipitation. The aerosols also serve as surfaces for heterogeneous chemistry resulting in increased ozone depletion. The delivery of sulphur species to the stratosphere in a way that will produce particles of the right size is shown to be a complex and potentially very difficult task. Two simple delivery scenarios are explored, but similar exercises will be needed for other suggested delivery mechanisms. While the introduction of the geoengineering source of sulphate aerosol will perturb the sulphur cycle of the stratosphere signicantly, it is a small perturbation to the total (stratosphere and troposphere) sulphur cycle. The geoengineering source would thus be a small contributor to the total global source of ‘acid rain’ that could be compensated for through improved pollution control of anthropogenic tropospheric sources. Some areas of research remain unexplored. Although ozone may be depleted, with a consequent increase to solar ultraviolet-B (UVB) energy reaching the surface and a potential impact on health and biological populations, the aerosols will also scatter and attenuate this part of the energy spectrum, and this may compensate the UVB enhancement associated with ozone depletion. The aerosol will also change the ratio of diffuse to direct energy reaching the surface, and this may influence ecosystems. The impact of geoengineering on these components of the Earth system has not yet been studied. Representations for the formation, evolution and removal of aerosol and distribution of particle size are still very crude, and more work will be needed to gain confidence in our understanding of the deliberate production of this class of aerosols and their role in the climate system.

The GMAO High‐Resolution Coupled Model and Assimilation System for Seasonal Prediction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Molod ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Coupled Model ◽  
Seasonal Prediction ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Aerosol Model ◽  
Earth Observing System ◽  
The North ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Weakly Coupled ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
The Impact

<p>The Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) is about to release a new version of the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) Subseasonal to Seasonal prediction (S2S) system, GEOS‐S2S‐3, that represents an improvement in performance and infrastructure over the  previous system, GEOS-S2S-2. The system will be described briefly, highlighting some features unique to GEOS-S2S, such as the coupled interactive aerosol model and ensemble  perturbation strategy and size. Results are presented from forecasts and from climate  equillibrium simulations. GEOS-S2S-3 will be used to produce a long term weakly coupled reanalysis called MERRA-2 Ocean.</p><p>The climate or equillibrium state of the atmosphere and ocean shows a reduction in systematic error relative to GEOS‐S2S‐2, attributed in part to an increase in ocean resolution and to the upgrade in the glacier runoff scheme.  The forecast skill shows improved prediction  of the North Atlantic Oscillation, attributed to the increase in forecast ensemble members.  </p><p>With the release of GEOS-S2S-3 and MERRA-2 Ocean, GMAO will continue its tradition of maintaining a state‐of‐the‐art seasonal prediction system for use in evaluating the impact on seasonal and decadal forecasts of assimilating newly available satellite observations, as well as evaluating additional sources of predictability in the Earth system through the expanded coupling of the Earth system model and assimilation components.</p>

Becoming Ray Bradbury

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Eller
Keyword(s):  
Human Mind ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
American Writer ◽  
Long Life ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Private Collections ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
The Human Condition

This book chronicles the making of an iconic American writer by exploring Ray Bradbury's childhood and early years of his long life in fiction, film, television, radio, and theater. It measures the impact of the authors, artists, illustrators, and filmmakers who stimulated Ray Bradbury's imagination throughout his first three decades. This biography follows Bradbury's development from avid reader to maturing author, making a living writing for the genre pulps and mainstream magazines. Unprecedented access to Bradbury's personal papers and other private collections provides insight into his emerging talent through his unpublished correspondence, his rare but often insightful notes on writing, and his interactions with those who mentored him during those early years. They also provide insight into his very conscious decisions, following the sudden success of The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man, to voice controversial political statements in his fiction. The book illuminates the sources of Bradbury's growing interest in the human mind, the human condition, and the ambiguities of life and death—themes that became increasingly apparent in his early fiction. It elucidates the complex creative motivations that yielded Fahrenheit 451. Revealing Bradbury's emotional world as it matured, the book highlights the emerging sense of authorship at the heart of his boundless creativity.

Geoethics, a Philosophical Hybrid of European Origin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Bohle
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Models ◽  
Applied Ethics ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Single Word ◽  
European Origin ◽  
Critical View ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Engineering Economy

<p>European philosophies shape geoethics. The Culture-Nature-Dichotomy (<em>“appropriate behaviours and practices, wherever human activities interact with the Earth system”</em> [1; p.30]) and the associated anthropocentric interpretation of the human condition [1; p.58-60] is an example.</p><p>The European post-medieval cultural models [2, 3] led to engage early with scientific studies of Earth [4, 5], to merge science, research, engineering, economy and applied ethics into a massive societal venture [6, 7], and to shape global hegemonic societal practices [8, 9]. These developments provide the socio-historical foundation of geoethics. It implies depicting Culture and Nature differently, respectively using either idealistic or materialistic philosophies.</p><p>Tinted by European cultural models, geoethics is based on geosciences knowledge and applies philosophical materialism when inspecting Nature. However, geoethics displays philosophical idealism when inspecting Culture, e.g. the virtuous individual's societal role [1; p.33-43]. Recently, an academic noticed: <em>“not even a single word [in geoethics] about the structural determinations upon individuals in the particular form of social organisation where they live </em>[a].” Such a critical view (absence to apply philosophical materialism) is valuable when considering that geoethics aims to advise about “<em>appropriate [socio-historical/cultural] behaviours and practices</em>”.</p><p>Such considerations point at the need to re-inspect the philosophical basis of geoethics. Merely being ‘tinted’ by European cultural models is unsatisfying. Instead, analyses should show whether to apply idealistic and materialistic philosophies. Investigating, for example, whether to inspect Culture like Nature using philosophical materialism, would test the consistency of the current philosophical hybrid, geoethics; subsequently, such analyses should elucidate geoethics’ anthropocentric bearings.</p><div> <div> <p>[a] anonymous review published in Quaternary (2019); https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/2/2/19/review_report (1st round reviewer 2 report)</p> </div> </div>

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