Politics and the Anthropocene

The Anthropocene has fractured our sense of time and possibility,and Duncan Kelly's book explores how this could shape our future by engaging with the recent past of our political thinking. He rejects both pessimistic fatalism and optimistic fatalism and argues that democratic politics can negotiate this challenge.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 185 pages
Publication date: 23 August 2019
Publisher: Polity Press

The Anthropocene has emerged as a pivotal lens through which to comprehend the intricate interplay between human existence and the natural world. However, this epoch has also fragmented our perception of time and possibility, presenting profound implications for our understanding of politics in these unprecedented times. In this thought-provoking exploration, Duncan Kelly delves into the potential implications of the Anthropocene for our future, engaging with the historical trajectory of our political thought. If politics continues to be confined to short-term electoral cycles, can an Anthropocenic sense of time, value, and prosperity be infused into it, challenging long-standing notions of abundance, energy, and growth? Or is the Anthropocene so disruptive that it heralds ecological doom, rendering modern politics incapable of adaptation? Kelly adeptly navigates between two opposing viewpoints: pessimistic fatalism regarding humanity's demise and optimistic fatalism that sees the Anthropocene as a challenge too vast for politics, best left to the market or technology to resolve. His meticulous defense of the potential for democratic politics to navigate this epochal transformation serves as an invaluable guide to the ideas that hold the key to comprehending this momentous shift.

Weight: 218g
Dimension: 216 x 138 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509534203