The Anthropocene: scientific meaning and philosophical significance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21814/anthropocenica.3097Keywords:
The “Anthropocene” is a relatively new and unprecedented concept, used to signify the most recent chapter in Earth History in which our species has become a major geological and geomorphic agent, and a controversial hypothesis stating that this new state of our planet constitutes a scientific fact. Both claims are being debated within the Geosciences, but also in the fields of the Social Sciences and the Humanities. This paper aims to produce some insight on the complementary topics of: (a) the meaning of the Anthropocene as a scientific concept and hypothesis; (b) its philosophical significance, namely, what ontological entity is the Anthropocene and how do we have epistemological access to it.Abstract
The “Anthropocene” is a relatively new and unprecedented concept, used to signify the most recent chapter in Earth History in which our species has become a major geological and geomorphic agent, and a controversial hypothesis stating that this new state of our planet constitutes a scientific fact. Both claims are being debated within the Geosciences, but also in the fields of the Social Sciences and the Humanities. This paper aims to produce some insight on the complementary topics of: (a) the meaning of the Anthropocene as a scientific concept and hypothesis; (b) its philosophical significance, namely, what ontological entity is the Anthropocene and how do we have epistemological access to it.
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