ENSn4679 Anthropocene: philosophical reflections

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Recommended Type of Completion: z (credit). Other types of completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Dr. Eliška Fulínová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Karel Stibral, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Kateřina Hendrychová
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Wed 28. 2. 12:00–15:40 U42, Wed 13. 3. 12:00–15:40 U42, Wed 27. 3. 12:00–15:40 U42, Wed 10. 4. 12:00–15:40 U42, Wed 24. 4. 12:00–15:40 U42
Prerequisites (in Czech)
TYP_STUDIA(N)
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The term "Anthropocene" has many levels of meaning: it is a possible geological definition of the current epoch, which has been affected by human activity in an unprecedented way; it is a critique of human influence on the planet and the way in which so-called natural resources are exploited; and it is also a look in the mirror that brings a new reflection on the position of humans in the world. In this course we will show that the Anthropocene should be understood not only as a label for the current state of the world, but also as an umbrella term for the transformation of our view of reality, and one that is loaded with a strong emotional charge. Like other historical epochs, the Anthropocene is characterized by a particular sensibility: a receptivity and sensitivity to certain phenomena that, although they may not necessarily have gone completely unnoticed before, have left us unheeded. The concept of the Anthropocene fundamentally undermines the modernist thesis of the antithesis of nature and culture, and calls for a new way of studying the world that does not accommodate the traditional division between natural and social sciences or the dissociation between academic and non-academic forms of knowledge. The Anthropocene, in which geology intersects with history, transcends the boundaries of a narrowly understood natural science and is increasingly embraced by humanities scholars, philosophers and artists, and resonates also in the public sphere. The aim of the course is to offer a reflection on some contemporary phenomena from a historically grounded philosophical perspective and to reflect together on the Anthropocene not only as a new environmental situation, but also as a specific type of perspective and, last but not least, as a unique way of lived experience.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will:
- better understand the Anthropocene;
- gain deeper insight into current events and be able to place contemporary societal challenges and approaches to them in the broader historical and philosophical context of the history of European thought.
Syllabus
  • 1) Introductory lesson: Introduction to the course content and conditions for successful completion. Reflection, clarification and reconciliation of the participants' initial pre-understandings of the term "Anthropocene". Motivation for further exploration.
  • 2) The concept of the Anthropocene: its origin, development, conceptual shifts. "Deep" and "broad" Anthropocene. Interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity. Anthropocene self-conception and the social role of science. Key philosophical themes and issues: objectivity, truth, certitude; knowledge and understanding; human relation to the world.
  • 3) Who is the anthropos of the Anthropocene? The Anthropocene as a way of human beings looking at themselves, the world as a mirror of man. Key philosophical themes: being in the world; self-understanding and reflection; anthropological difference; anthropocentrism.
  • 4) Nature and culture in the Anthropocene. Progress and decline: modernist myths and their ancient roots. The noble savage, virgin nature and the achievements of civilization. Classical vs. Anthropocene environmentalism. Are we heading towards the end of history? Millennialism and utopia. Key philosophical themes: deep time, history and historicity; narrativity; relation to the future.
  • 5) Post-anthropocene, posthumanism and transhumanism. Non-human actors, human-animal-machine. Man at the interface between the natural and the artificial. The interconnectedness of man and technology. Will technology enable us to save the planet? Key philosophical themes: life and living beings; human creation, technology and artefacts; generation and decay, duration.
  • 6) Anthropocene spirituality: is a new global religion of the Anthropocene emerging? Reason and emotion - another duality in radical crisis. Spiritual holism and non-binary thinking. Eclecticism and hybridization. The triumph of magical relatability in the digital universe. Idols, Idolatries and Simulacra. Key philosophical themes: relational ontology, differentiation, scales; body and corporeality; image and representation.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • T. Daněk - L. Slovák, “Antropocén jako globální změna pohledu”, in: M. Mark a kol., Klimatická změna: Příčiny, dopady a adaptace, Praha: Academia 2022.
  • Z. M. Kostićová, Současná alternativní spiritualita, skripta pro kurz Náboženství v postmoderní společnosti, Husitská teologická fakulta UK, 2020 (volně dostupné on-line).
  • E. Fulínová - A. Kvíčalová (eds.), Antropocennosti: Průvodce světem antropocénu, Praha: Academia, 2023 (in prep.).
  • BĚLOHRADSKÝ, Václav. Čas pléthokracie : když části jsou větší než celky a světový duch spadl z koně. První vydání. Praha: 65. pole, 2021, 364 stran. ISBN 9788088268574. info
  • Antropocén. Edited by Petr Pokorný - David Storch. Vydání první. Praha: Academia, 2020, 651 stran. ISBN 9788020031297. info
  • Město naruby : vágní terén, vnitřní periferie a místa mezi místy. Edited by Radan Haluzík. Vydání první. Praha: Academia, 2020, 399 stran. ISBN 9788020030412. info
  • PAUKNEROVÁ, Karolína. Krajina mezi pamětí a zapomínáním : studie z Čech. První vydání. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2019, 208 stran. ISBN 9788024643274. URL info
Teaching methods
Home preparation: reading assigned texts, lectures, seminar readings and analysis of texts, moderated structured discussion, free discussion, brainstorming, group work, seminar presentation. In the course, in addition to the usual methods of frontal teaching (lectures) and seminar readings with discussion, we will use elements of object-based learning and participatory methods of group work.
Assessment methods
Successful completion of the course requires home study and active participation in class. The award of the colloquium is conditional on the presentation of the (collaborative) creative output and participation in the evaluation discussion. The alternative is an individual output by agreement in justified cases.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: Výuka probíhá blokově vždy jedenkrát za dva týdny.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2024/ENSn4679