Framing the Anthropocene as Influence or Impact: The Importance of Interdisciplinary Contributions to Stratigraphic Classification

ABSTRACT

The designation of the Anthropocene formalizes the end of the 11,700-yearlong Holocene and the beginning of a new epoch. In the technical debates governing this transition, the stability of previous disciplinary conventions is under question, and new modes of expression and expertise are solicited to ground answers. In our examination of Anthropocene origin stories, we analyze science communication about geological designations with an emphasis on how internal and external rhetorical processes of casuistic stretching frame the Holocene-Anthropocene transition. We argue that external stretching challenges scientists to distinguish an epoch of previous human influence from one of humans’ environmental impact. The resulting frames of influence-complexity and impact-collapse characterize the Anthropocene’s formalization and offer implications beyond geology. By taking up an analysis of the scientific sources governing this transition, we identify ways that rhetorical scholarship might help navigate the contemporary paradigm debates determining the Anthropocene’s designation.

KEYWORDS:

• Anthropocene
• complexity
• collapse
• casuistic stretching
• narrative

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the 2019 National Communication Association conference in Baltimore, MD. We are grateful for Kent A. Ono, Phaedra C. Pezzullo, Constance Gordon, and a team of outstanding graduate students who organized a special “Surviving the Anthropocene” spotlight panel. We would like to thank the panelists and attendees for their excellent feedback and encouragement. We also appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the Journal’s editor and anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.