人类世生物与文化维度的多样性丧失

The Loss of Diversity in the Anthropocene Biological and CulturalDimensions

民族主义理论强调其标准化效应。厄尼斯特·盖尔纳(Ernest Gellner)将民族主义之前的世界比作科柯施卡(Kokoschka)的画作(色彩狂放),将民族主义世界比作莫迪利亚尼(Modigliani)的画作(平静的单色表面),而本尼迪克特·安德森(Benedict Anderson)则证明通过印刷媒介实现的语言标准化如何成为共同民族身份认同的条件。在本文中,同质化仍然是一个值得关注的议题,但经验框架与20世纪后期的理论框架有所不同。文章的灵感源自查尔斯·曼恩(Charles Mann)的《1493》(哥伦布之后的世界史研究,其中提出“同质世”一词),旨在对同质化作为现代性的一个关键因素进行解释,并分析同质化最近加速的含义。经济全球化对生物和文化多样性均产生不利影响,因为人类世时代不仅意味着生物多样性的减少,还涉及文化群体被纳入市场经济,语言和传统的谋生方式丧失。文章最后概述了一些应对经济规模扩大、生态系统扁平化和企业实力增长的措施。从试图修复受损生态系统,到各群体捍卫其文化和政治自主权,人们通过多种方式来应对灵活性的丧失。该分析主张对政治(被视为政治维度)进行广泛的定义,从而质疑国家是否有能力解决同时涉及文化和生物丧失的双重困境。结论是,扩大规模(例如扩大到全球系统)通常是问题的一部分,而不是解决方案,横向扩大规模可能会弥补缩小规模(例如缩小到社区一级)的不足之处。

Theories of nationalism emphasise its standardizing effects.Ernest Gellner compared the pre-nationalist world to a painting by Kokoschka(a colour extravaganza)and the world of nationalism as one by Modigliani(calm,monochrome surfaces),while Benedict Anderson showed how the standardization of language through the medium of printing was a condition for shared national identities.In this article,homogenization remains a concern,but the empirical framework differs from that of late 20th century theory.Taking its cue from Charles Mann’s 1493,a study of the world after Columbus where the term Homogenocene was proposed,the article shows how homogenization is a key element in modernity,and analyses some implications of its recent acceleration.The effects of economic globalization are detrimental to both biological and cultural diversity,since the Anthropocene era does not only refer to a reduction of biological diversity but also the incorporation of cultural groups into market economies,the loss of languages and of traditional livelihoods.The article then briefly surveys some responses to the upscaling of economies,the flattening of ecosystems and the growing power of corporations.The loss of flexibility is countered in a number of ways,from attempts to restore damaged ecosystems to groups defending their cultural and political autonomy.The analysis argues for a broad definition of politics(seen as the political),thereby questioning the ability of the state to solve the dilemma,which is a dual one relating simultaneously to cultural and biological loss.The conclusion is that upscaling(e.g.,to the global system)is usually part of the problem rather than the solution,and that sideways scaling may address the shortcomings of downscaling(e.g.,to the community level).