Debt in the Anthropocene
Project Stream 0 · Prof. Dr. Bertram Lomfeld
Planet Earth today is shaped by human activity. The dominant impact not only on living systems but also on the planet’s climate and geological condition is coined in the term “Anthropocene”. Essential prerequisite of this human rise is its ability to mass cooperation. And mass cooperation is only possible by means of division of labor and communication. This functional differentiation (e.g., politics, economics) was enabled and constituted by legal institutions (e.g., contract, property) and could be seen as social marker of the Anthropocene.
Debt as a core medium of the (financialized) economic functional system could be seen to drive an unsustainable development of human impact on Earth. Debt transfers the economic logic of growth to other social and natural systems, initiating an economic colonization of our “lifeworld” and nature itself. Yet, debt could also be understood as essential element to govern economic development and thus enable sustainable transformation.
The project analyses possible causal loops and linkages between debt and the Anthropocene. Furthermore, it reflects on the potential impact of a more sustainable and plural debt paradigm and narrative.
Project Funding
Funded by the European Union (ERC, RESOLVENCY, No. 950427). Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.