Care in the Anthropocene: Acting with compassion

Abstract

The Anthropocene refers to the geological era in which man - anthropos - has become a geophysical force transforming the biosphere. This period is marked by a lack of compassion and understanding of our environments - a total detachment from our biospheric reality. If care is everything we do to repair and maintain this world, what does this process entail in the Anthropocene? This paper addresses the importance of taking care seriously. We look at care in the Anthropocene and its interconnections with the notions of vulnerability and compassion from both a philosophical and anthropological perspective.

Keywords

• vulnerability
• care
• compassion
• ethics
• anthropocene