Description
This paper examines the challenge of care for the Anthropocene. If, as we are told, the geological conditions of our current age force us to think of life and security otherwise, there remains deep ambiguity about where exactly to go next. For many, it forces us to consider forms of eco-catastrophism that hold the promise of security as illusory in a warmer world. For others, the Anthropocene offers hope that ecological perils will lead to new forms of progressive humanism that will salvage life and security in creative ways. Finally, others have attempted to rescue hope by emphasizing ‘pluriversal’ social imaginaries built upon fluid, entangled, and diverse forms of life and security. This paper investigates how different logics of care are immanent within all three discourses. By tracing multiple, sometimes contradictory iterations of care in the Anthropocene – including care for the self and a care for the world - the paper seeks to trouble contemporary discussions on how to pay attention to a complex and fragile world.
