The Anthropocene, a Geological or a Cultural Concept, or Both?

Abstract

When Paul J. Crutzen and Eugene F. Stoermer in 2000 proposed to introduce a new geological time, the Anthropocene, they could hardly foresee the remarkable double carrier to the new term. Only a few years later, the geological community established the Anthropocene Working Group, which started to examine possible periodizations. Scholars from numerous other disciplines have understood the Anthropocene as a cultural concept. Anthropologists and historians, sociologists and political scientists, philosophers and theologians have tried to make sense of the Age of Humans. In addition, the media have developed a deep interest in the broader cultural ramifications of the concept. The article sheds light on the debate about the Anthropocene and discusses its dual careers as a geological and a cultural term.