Towards Co-existence. Responsibility in the Anthropocene Debate

Abstract

P. Crutzen and E. Stoermer’s concept that humanity has entered a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene, in which the human species has become the leading geological force, is the subject of multidisciplinary scientific research. The debate on the Age of Man reconnects the sphere of facts and the normative sphere, while still continuing the eco-developmental concept oriented towards the search for new socio-economic solutions. One of the assumptions of the naturalistic narrative of the Anthropocene is the conviction that human action has the greatest impact on the environment and we are responsible for its condition. Often compared in literature to other great revolutions in science – Copernicus‘ and Darwin‘s theory – the paradigm shift in thinking in the Anthropocene forces us to rethink the key concepts of classical philosophy: human, nature, responsibility. The article presents an outline of the ethical debate on responsibility in the Anthropocene, considering its collective and individual aspects, and introduces a new concept of co-existence, which integrates ecosystems with the technosphere.