大历史视野中的人类景观

Human Landscapes in Big History

新冠肺炎(COVID-19)疫情留给笔者诸多不快与悲痛记忆,期间,笔者借助宽带网络参与了线上全球性"前沿论坛",论坛演讲激发了笔者的思考。若从大历史的视野出发,无论人类自诩其历史何其宏大,相较于浩瀚的宇宙长河而言,依然是微不足道的。笔者以江西省婺源县的巡检司村庄周而复始的耕种变化与延续千年的家族历史为例,阐述了人类社会、乡土景观所具备的独特韧性;也借助化学农药施用、河流枯竭、生物消失等现象证明了近几十年来人类的无度开采与肆意的碳排放行为,而这可能会演变为本就只是短暂存在的人类的灭顶之灾,笔者对这场大历史视野中的巨变深表担忧。

Although experienced too much bitterness in the COVID-19 pandemic,the author took part in the online global Frontiers Forum.Inspired by one of the lectures which highlighted the view of Big History,the author argues that the human history—no matter how earthshaking it is praised to be—is just barely even worthy of mention.Illustrating with the seasonal farming sceneries and the family history of thousands of years in Xunjiansi village,Wuyuan County,Jiangxi Province,the author elaborates the vibrancy and resilience of local society and vernacular landscapes.Big History insights warn us that the immoderate exploitation of natural resources,increasing carbon emission that exceeds the carbon sequestration capacity of the nature,the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides,disappearing water bodies,biodiversity loss,etc.,will eventually lead to a complete collapse and unpredictable disasters that threaten humans’survival and may rewrite human history.