Anthropocene
Proper noun
Meaning
Anthropocene
(geology) The proposed current geological epoch, in which the effect of human activities on the global environment have disrupted the natural variability of the Holocene. [from 1960s]
Coordinate term: (current epoch) Holocene
Hypernym: (current period) Quaternary
Synonyms
Related terms
Examples
As Robert Macfarlane, another of our readers, notes, Coleridge’s mythic work predicts the Anthropocene and the fatal disconnection between human and nature.
The name is a pun on the words “misanthrope,” meaning a general hatred and distrust for human kind, and “Anthropocene,” a geological time period meant to denote the period since humans made an impact on Earth.
At the same time, what has come to be known as the human – despite its normative intensity – can provide neither foundation nor critical lever in the Anthropocene epoch.
If we are going to survive the Anthropocene, it will be because we create post-growth economies that allow us to flourish in harmony with this beautiful and generous planet we call home.
If you come to believe that the Anthropocene started 6,000 years ago, then it seems like a slight when the Holocene introduces a new cut in time there.
In fact, it had made the Anthropocene group’s work easier.