The Constant Rigor of the Anthropocene

Abstract

This chapter concludes the book by examining the Anthropocene in light of the tragic and the cruciform imaginary. In response to Anthropocene realities that relate individual lives and choices to epochal planetary changes, some have argued that humans are like gods, should embrace their now-recognizable world-changing power, and should pursue “the good Anthropocene.” This chapter argues, instead, that the tragic is a key feature of the Anthropocene, in which some creative possibilities must be foregone, given up, or undermined in order to embrace others. This constancy of the tragic demands a response that embraces the “constant rigor” of responsible action and the pursuit of a “humane Anthropocene.”