Religion in the Age of the Anthropocene

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianne F. Conty
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Risks And Benefits ◽  
Human Exceptionalism ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Contemporary Christian ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Forms Of Life

Though responses to the Anthropocene have largely come from the natural and social sciences, religious responses to the Anthropocene have also been gaining momentum and many scholars have been calling for a religious response to complement scientific responses to climate change. Yet because Genesis 1:28 does indeed tell human beings to ‘subdue the earth’ monotheistic religions have often been understood as complicit in the human exceptionalism that is thought to have created the conditions for the Anthropocene. In distinction to such Biblical traditions, indigenous animistic cultures have typically respected all forms of life as ‘persons’ and such traditions have thus become a source of inspiration for ecological movements. After discussing contemporary Christian efforts to integrate the natural sciences and the environment into their responses to the Anthropocene, this article will turn to animism and seek to evaluate the risks and benefits that could ensue from a postmodern form of animism that could provide a necessary postsecular response to the Anthropocene.

scholarly journals Organizing in the Anthropocene

Organization ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Wright ◽  
Daniel Nyberg ◽  
Lauren Rickards ◽  
James Freund
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Exponential Growth ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
Crucial Issue ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Introductory Article

The functioning of the biosphere and the Earth as a whole is being radically disrupted due to human activities, evident in climate change, toxic pollution and mass species extinction. Financialization and exponential growth in production, consumption and population now threaten our planet’s life-support systems. These profound changes have led Earth System scientists to argue we have now entered a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene. In this introductory article to the Special Issue, we first set out the origins of the Anthropocene and some of the key debates around this concept within the physical and social sciences. We then explore five key organizing narratives that inform current economic, technological, political and cultural understandings of the Anthropocene and link these to the contributions in this Special Issue. We argue that the Anthropocene is the crucial issue for organizational scholars to engage with in order to not only understand on-going anthropogenic problems but also help create alternative forms of organizing based on realistic Earth–human relations.

The Anthropocene’s dating problem: Insights from the geosciences and the humanities

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Nichols ◽  
Bina Gogineni
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Geologic Record ◽  
Earth’S System

The Anthropocene, generally defined, is the time when human activities have a significant impact on the Earth System. However, the natural sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences have different understandings of how and when human activities affected the Earth System. Humanities and social science scholars tend to approach the Anthropocene from a wide range of moral-political concerns including differential responsibility for the change in the Earth System and social implications going forward. Geologists, on the other hand, see their work as uninfluenced by such considerations, instead concerning themselves with empirical data that might point to a ‘golden spike’ in the geologic record – the spike indicating a change in the Earth System. Thus, the natural sciences and the humanities/social sciences are incongruent in two important ways: (1) different motivations for establishing a new geologic era, and (2) different parameters for identifying it. The Anthropocene discussions have already hinted at a paradigm shift in how to define geologic time periods. Several articles suggest a mid-20th century commencement of the Anthropocene based on stratigraphic relationships identified in concert with knowledge of human history. While some geologists in the Anthropocene Working Group have stated that the official category should be useful well beyond geology, they continue to be guided by the stratigraphic conventions of defining the epoch. However, the methods and motivations that govern stratigraphers are different from those that govern humanists and social scientists. An Anthropocene defined by stratigraphic convention would supersede many of the humanities/social science perspectives that perhaps matter more to mitigating and adapting to the effects of humans on Earth’s System. By this reasoning, the impetus for defining the Anthropocene ought to be interdisciplinary, as traditional geologic criteria for defining the temporal scale might not meet the aspirations of a broad range of Anthropocene thinkers.

scholarly journals Epistemologi Keilmuan Integratif-Interkonektif M. Amin Abdullah dan Resolusi Konflik

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dendi Sutarto
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Cultural Tradition ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science Culture ◽  
The World ◽  
Open Dialogue ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract The interconnectivity paradigm, axiologically, wants to offer a new, more open, dialogue and dialogue view of the world of human beings and scientists, able to open dialogue and cooperation, be transparent, accountable to the public and forward-looking. While ontologically, the relationship between the various disciplines of science becomes more open and dialogue of scholarship derived from the texts (Hadlarah al-Nash), and the factual-historical-empirical scholarly culture, social sciences and the natural sciences (Hadlarah al-Ilm ) as well as ethical-philosophical science culture (Hadlarah al-Falsafah). This paper argues that the thought of M. Amin Abdullah contributed greatly to scholarship related to contemporary humanisties approaches, such as hermeneutics, contemporary linguistics, the natural sciences, by revealing the scientific treasures of Bayani, Burhani and Irfani in the Islamic cultural tradition. Both traditions are attempted to compare in matrices and then deliver on a choice of scientific formats that are integrative and interconnective and able to disperse the tensions of religious social conflict in multicultural societies. Keywords: M. Amin Abdullah, integrative-interconetive science, conflict resolution, epistimologi  Abstrak Paradigma interkoneksitas, secara aksiologi, ingin menawarkan pandangan dunia (word view) manusia beragama dan ilmuan yang baru, yang lebih terbuka, mampu membuka dialog dan kerjasama, transparan, dapat dipertanggungjawabkan secara publik dan berpandangan ke depan. Sedangkan secara ontologis, hubungan antara berbagai disiplin keilmuan menjadi semakin terbuka dan mendialogkan keilmuan bersumber pada teks-teks (Hadlarah al-Nash), dan budaya keilmuan faktual-historis-empiris yakni ilmu-ilmu sosial dan ilmu-ilmu kealaman (Hadlarah al-Ilm) serta budaya keilmuan etis-fiosofis (Hadlarah al-Falsafah). Tulisan ini berpendapat bahwa pemikiran M. Amin Abdullah berkontribusi besar bagi keilmuan terkait pendekatan humanisties-kontemporer, seperti hermeneutik, linguistis kontemporer, ilmu-ilmu kealaman, dengan mengungkap kembali kekuatan khazanah  keilmuan Bayani, Burhani dan Irfani dalam tradisi budaya Islam. Kedua tradisi tersebut dicoba dibandingkan dalam matrik dan kemudian mengantarkan pada suatu pilihan format keilmuan yang bersifat integratif dan interkonektif dan mampu meredahkan ketegangan konflik sosial keagamaan dalam masyarakat multikulturalisme. Keywords: M. Amin Abdullah, integratif-interkonetif keilmuan, resolusi konflik,epistimologi                 

scholarly journals TRANSGENDER: TRANS-ITION TO NOWHERE

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-48
Author(s):  
PETER JONES
Keyword(s):  
Female Sexuality ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Apostle Paul ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
In The Beginning

Based on Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (ESV), the apostle Paul in Romans 1:25 gives an amazingly com- plete definition of the only two ways of existing in the world: “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” I call these two ways of existing Oneism and Twoism. In Oneism, if you worship creation, you will believe that the world is self-created, self-explanatory, and all made of the same stuff (matter, spirit, or a mixture). Paganism is the worship of nature. If everything shares the same divine substance, then all distinctions are eliminated and everything is god. In Twoism, if you worship God, you will believe that he is the Creator—an external, intelligent, personal God. There are two kinds of existence—the Creator who is uncreated, and everything else, which is created. He has placed distinctions in his creation, making what I call Twoism a worldview based on the binaries of otherness and difference. From living under the cultural canopy of biblical truth, our world has changed in the last one or two generations. This becomes especially evident in the modern views of sexuality—in particular, transsexuality, where human beings now self-define and reject the creational binary of male/female sexuality.

Man's Role in Changing the Landscape of Southeast Asia

1968 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl J. Pelzer
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
International Symposium ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Ample Opportunity ◽  
The Social ◽  
Anthropological Research ◽  
The Face ◽  
Varied Form

The theme of this paper, a theme close to the heart of the geographer, was in a slightly varied form the title of an international symposium organized by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research in 1955. This symposium on “Man's Role in Changing the Face of the Earth” provided ample opportunity for fruitful dialogues between scholars representing the full range of disciplines from the natural sciences through the humanities to the social sciences. In this truly interdisciplinary symposium of some seventy-five scholars, no less than thirty percent represented the discipline of geography.

Critical Theory

2020 ◽  
pp. 65-82
Author(s):  
Derya Guler Aydin ◽  
Itir Ozer-Imer
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Critical Theory ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Economic Decisions ◽  
Intentional Behavior ◽  
Historical Factors ◽  
Historical Developments

Based on the historical developments in the philosophy of science, it can be claimed that the method of social sciences is mainly dominated by the method of the natural sciences. Social sciences, especially, economics have been affected by the method of physics. From a critical viewpoint, this study aims to scrutinize the method of social sciences by taking into account the concept of devaluation of human beings. The study puts forward that mainstream economics devalue human being at the level of its methodology by excluding the real creator of value from the analyses and by disregarding social and historical factors. The study demonstrates that by taking into consideration the neglected cultural, political and historical factors in addition to the economic ones, the critical theory includes human being and his/her values in the analyses, and hence, it unifies scientific knowledge with human behavior, which is the intentional behavior behind all economic decisions.

scholarly journals Cura ou conservação: um dilema socioambiental na formação continuada de professores

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Lidiane Amaral Barbosa ◽  
Elinete Oliveira Raposo ◽  
Nadia Magalhães da Silva Freitas
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Solid Waste Management ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Academic Education ◽  
Continuous Training ◽  
Continuous Formation ◽  
And Coping

There are many contemporary socio-environmental challenges: socio-environmental quality and sustainability of cities, mitigation and coping with climate change, water and solid waste management, forest management, growing demand and energy alternatives, among others. In this context, the research was driven by the following question: in what terms teachers, in a process of continuous formation, base their decision-making on a socio-environmental dilemma involving the forest theme? The research was based on a qualitative approach and was carried out in the context of a process of continuous training of teachers. The analyzes refer to a case study (fictitious, but credible) entitled "Cure or conservation: human health and the ecosystem". The positions of the teachers brought together knowledge from two areas: natural sciences and social sciences, approaching them; considered aspects such as identity, culture and traditional knowledge, avoiding positions that exorcize the alterity and the sovereignty of scientific knowledge in relation to others. Despite of to their specific academic education, teachers integrated knowledge, in an authentic interdisciplinary attitude in the consideration of the socio-environmental dilemma proposed in the training. The teachers' discussions were legitimate, their positions pertinent and they were actual, considering the concerns that are manifested in the environmental field.

scholarly journals Climate change research and the search for solutions: rethinking interdisciplinarity

2021 ◽  
Vol 168 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Lisa F. Schipper ◽  
Navroz K. Dubash ◽  
Yacob Mulugetta
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
Political Pressure ◽  
Climate Change Research ◽  
Social Sciences And Humanities ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Interdisciplinary Knowledge

Abstract Growing political pressure to find solutions to climate change is leading to increasing calls for multiple disciplines, in particular those that are not traditionally part of climate change research, to contribute new knowledge systems that can offer deeper and broader insights to address the problem. Recognition of the complexity of climate change compels researchers to draw on interdisciplinary knowledge that marries natural sciences with social sciences and humanities. Yet most interdisciplinary approaches fail to adequately merge the framings of the disparate disciplines, resulting in reductionist messages that are largely devoid of context, and hence provide incomplete and misleading analysis for decision-making. For different knowledge systems to work better together toward climate solutions, we need to reframe the way questions are asked and research pursued, in order to inform action without slipping into reductionism. We suggest that interdisciplinarity needs to be rethought. This will require accepting a plurality of narratives, embracing multiple disciplinary perspectives, and shifting expectations of public messaging, and above all looking to integrate the appropriate disciplines that can help understand human systems in order to better mediate action.

Critique, participation et démocratie

Eco-ethica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 141-154
Author(s):  
Bernard Reber ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Statistical Average ◽  
Climate Governance ◽  
Causal Dependence ◽  
The Social ◽  
Land Water

The problem of interdependence is crucial for understanding the climate, with its interactions between land, water, and atmosphere, as well as with human activities, past and future. The concept of interdependence expresses two types of relationship, that of causality and that of responsibility. For the problems of climate governance as understood as a statistical average in the Conferences of the parties (COP), causal dependence is impossible to reconstruct precisely, notably because of the complexity of these phenomena. However, dependence does not only concern the domain of being, falling within the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the human descriptive predictive. It also concerns the ought-to-be and therefore the normative sciences (ethics, political theory, law, and normative economy). Here interdependence is much more problematic since it is opposed to freedom. This article discusses the various interdependencies and political solutions that are offered to take care of this needs, architectures for discussing climate change politically: systems (N. Luhmann) and deliberation (J. Habermas). It then proposes another solution, that of moral and political consideration.

Risk and the Question of the Acceptability of Human Enhancement: The Humanist and Transhumanist Perspectives

Dialogue ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-394
Author(s):  
JEAN-PIERRE BÉLAND ◽  
JOHANE PATENAUDE
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Human Enhancement ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Social Acceptability ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Interdisciplinary Work ◽  
The Social

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the difficulties involved in interdisciplinary work on the question of the risks associated with the ethical and social acceptability of human enhancement through the development of nanotechnologies. These difficulties emerge in the context of the debate between transhumanism, whose principal defenders have backgrounds in the natural sciences, and humanism, whose principal defenders have backgrounds in the social sciences and the humanities. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate that essentially transhumanists and humanists differ on these questions: the identification of risks and impacts; the assessment that serves as the foundation for the acceptability or unacceptability of these risks and impacts; and faith in the capacity of science to overcome the identified risks to human beings. This paper’s presentation of the divergences that exist in the debate between transhumanism and humanism constitutes a necessary first step towards intervening in that debate in an interdisciplinary manner.

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