The Anthropocene and the Humanities: From Climate Change to a New Age of Sustainability

A wide-ranging and original introduction to the Anthropocene that offers fresh, theoretical insights bridging the sciences and the humanities

From noted environmental historian Carolyn Merchant, this book focuses on the original concept of the Anthropocene first proposed by Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer in their seminal 2000 paper. It undertakes a broad investigation into the ways in which science, technology, and the humanities can create a new and compelling awareness of human impacts on the environment. Using history, art, literature, religion, philosophy, ethics, and justice as the focal points, Merchant traces key figures and developments in the humanities throughout the Anthropocene era and explores how these disciplines might influence sustainability in the next century. Wide-ranging and accessible, this book from an eminent scholar in environmental history and philosophy argues for replacing the Age of the Anthropocene with a new Age of Sustainability.

Carolyn Merchant offers a wide-ranging and accessible exploration of the ways science, technology, and the humanities create awareness of human impacts on the environment. Focusing on history, art, literature, religion, philosophy, and ethics, Merchant traces developments in the humanities throughout the Anthropocene era, and their potential impact on sustainability in the future.