“人类世”的哲学问题探讨

A Discussion of the Philosophical Issues on Anthropocene

“人类世”是一个在生命科学、环境科学、地质科学、还有可持续发展领域越来越重要的词语。人类世被界定为一个由人类主导的地质时代,这是一个在学术界和新闻界引发诸多讨论的词汇。本文探讨了三个关于人类世的国际上争议颇多的热点问题。这些问题有:第一:虽然“人类世工作小组”的工作人员已经投票建议把这个名词正式化,但是地质名词的正式化需要进行科学的验证,现有的科学证据足够让这个名称正式化吗?第二:人类世的开始年份也存在诸多争论,提议较多的几个节点分别是农业文明兴起之时,工业革命兴起之时,还有1950年左右“大加速”时期。第三:人类世将会面临更大的繁荣还是可能会遇到更多的挑战,学者对此意见不统一,乐观与悲观共存。作为一个科学与社会交叉的术语,这个词不仅会被科学家和人文社会学家,而且也会被广大公众持续地争论。

Anthropocene is a trendy word in life science,environmental science,geological science,and sustainability community.The Anthropocene is defined as a geologic era in which human beings are the most dominant force and it is a term which has sparkled heated discussion and debates in both media and academia.This paper discusses three issues that are debated fiercely worldwide.First,although the scholars of“Anthropocene Working Group”have,after extensive research,voted“Yes”to support the formalization of the term,the formalization of a geologic term needs to be tested scientifically.Is there sufficient scientific evidence?Second,there are also debates about the starting time of Anthropocene and should it be the beginning of the agricultural civilization,the Industrial Revolution or the Great Acceleration in the 1950s?Third,with regards to whether human beings will face more prosperity or doomsday in the Anthropocene,scientists have not reached consensus and both optimism and pessimism exist.As a term that intersects with both science and society,Anthropocene will be continually debated by not only scientists,humanists,and social scientists,but also the general public.