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The ‘Natural’ and ‘Artificial’ and Humanity’s
Relationship with Nature in the Anthropocene.
EMMA O’KANE1
This article assesses the extent to which it is necessary to incorporate the
‘natural’ with the ‘artificial’ in the present Anthropocene epoch. As
global social inequality deepens, despite technological developments
intended to lessen the divide, humanity is losing “a unique resource, a
cradle of life, irreplaceable grandeur!” (McKibben 1989: 13). This study
places the prioritisation of consumption for the wealthiest one percent of
the world at the centre of this global inequality and suggests that a more
equal approach to what is considered natural or artificial is necessary for
humanity to flourish in the Anthropocene. Such flourishing should be
taken as social and economic prosperity for humanity as opposed to the
wealth presently limited to the wealthiest one percent. By drawing from
the works of climate change scientists and discussing approaches to
environmental and social justice, this study makes a useful contributes to
an ever-evolving body of work.
The use of the term ‘Anthropocene’ to describe our current ecological epoch has
implications for humanity’s understanding and approach to what is ‘natural’ and what
is ‘artificial’. ‘Anthropocentrism’ literally translates from Greek to ‘humancentredness’. It places humanity above the concerns of all other entities. If we are to
accept the premise of the Anthropocene period as defined by Crutzen, we are
admitting the significance of humanity’s impact to be so significant that the Earth has
been transformed to accommodate more for the manufactured than the ‘natural’
(Sample 2014; Crutzen and Schwägerl 2011). As a result, our conception of what is
natural has become more complex than ever before. Beginning with a brief defence of
Emma O’Kane is a third year student studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Queen’s. The
author would like to thank Professor John Barry for whose module – The Politics of Sustainable
Development – this essay was written. Any errors are the author’s own. The author can be contacted
at: [email protected]
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