The Decision for the Anthropocene

– Title: [Plenary Session of The 2nd ISAS] The Decision for the Anthropocene: Between Activism, Doubt, and Responsibility for the Earth System
– When: September 2, 2024
– Where: Chung Kunmo Conference Hall, KAIST
– Who: Jürgen Renn (Founding Director, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany)

The talk deals with some fundamental questions about the Anthropocene: what does the Anthropocene mean as humanity’s self-reflection on its position in nature? Where did we come from, how did we get to the Anthropocene? What are the underlying dynamics of the Anthropocene? Who are we as a global technological civilization? And where are we going, what is the future of the Anthropocene? The main claim of the talk is that the decision for a good, a “beautiful Anthropocene”, as Paul Crutzen once called for, is a decision by all of us to view the world as a real laboratory, as a planetary experimental set-up in which all our lives are at stake, especially if we do not attempt to survive in it together.

◼︎The 2nd International Symposium on Anthropocene Studies (September 2-4, 2024, KAIST)
◼︎Main Theme: Projecting the Anthropocene: A Multidisciplinary Approach
◼︎Purpose: The Earth system has become increasingly destabilized, with growing evidence that human activities are the primary cause. However, our current financial, economic, social, political, and industrial systems are not evolving fast enough to address the pace and scale of planetary change. The concept of the Anthropocene (인류세, 人類世) has provided a novel framework for debating scientific methods of sensing these transformations, discussing more-than-human ways of inhabiting together, and exploring artistic imaginations for alternative futures. This symposium will bring together experts from various disciplines, including Earth sciences, biological sciences, electrical engineering, mobility studies, humanities, social sciences, industrial design, new media art, and documentary production, to project our better futures in the Anthropocene.

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