The Climate of History: Four Theses (Part 2)| Dipesh Chakraborty| PG S3 Critical Studies II

Key Concepts

• Anthropos Era
• Recorded History vs. Deep History
• Species History
• Global History of Capital
• Historical Understanding
• Human Consciousness
• Hermeneutics of Suspicion
• Universal History of Humans

Third Thesis: The Geological Hypothesis and Species History

This section focuses on the intersection of global capital history and the species history of humans, arguing that environmental crises are largely human-induced.

• Distinction between Recorded and Deep History: The author differentiates between recorded history (10,000 years post-agriculture, 4,000 years since written records, or 400 years of archives) and deep history (beyond written records). Human history is a product of both.
• Global Warming Threatens Human Conditions: Global warming threatens not only the planet but also the biological and geological conditions necessary for human survival.
• Introduction of "Species": The term "species" is introduced to designate life in human form, a term often absent in globalization analyses focused on recent recorded history.
• Critique of Global Modernity: Referencing Michael Geyer and Charles Bright's "World History in a Global Age," the author notes the integrated world of multiple modernities and the polarization of humanity into rich and poor.
• Humans as a Geological Force: Anthropos scientists argue that humans, by dominating other species, have become a geological force, a "natural condition."
• Historical Examples of Political Use of Biology: The author alludes to dangerous historical examples like war and nuclear weapons, cautioning against the misuse of biological understanding.
• Anthropogenic Factors and Global Inequality: The influence of Western nations on developing countries to attain power, politics, and global domination through capitalist, economic, technological, and military development is highlighted. The author argues that poorer nations should not be blamed for climate change; the responsibility lies with richer nations and the wealthier classes.
• Boundary Parameters of Human Existence: The author emphasizes that certain parameters, like the planet's temperature zone, are independent of capitalism or socialism and have been stable for longer than these institutions, enabling human dominance.
• Examples of Climate Change Impacts: Changing climate, increasing average temperatures, and ocean acidification are destroying the food chain, harming species, and ultimately threatening human existence.
• Call for Integrated Thinking: The climate change crisis necessitates thinking in terms of both capital and species history.

Fourth Thesis: Cross-Hatching Species History and the Limits of Historical Understanding

This section explores the limits of historical understanding when considering species history and the climate crisis.

• Human Understanding and Consciousness: The author stresses the importance of human understanding and consciousness, gained through critical reflection, as a mode of self-knowledge in the face of extreme climate change.
• Need for Historical Understanding: A comprehensive historical understanding is crucial, encompassing not only human history but also the history of animals, flora, and the broader natural world.
• Climate Change and Collective Human Past and Future: Discussions about climate change can generate knowledge about the collective human past and future, pushing the boundaries of historical understanding.
• Critique of Humanity as an Effect of Power: The author acknowledges the value of critiques that view humanity as an effect of power, particularly within postcolonial scholarship.
• Examples of Breaching the Human-Natural History Divide: The author references Alan Weisman's "The World Without Us" as an example of exploring a world without humans, highlighting the breached wall between human and natural history.
• Humans as Geological Agents: Humans have become geological agents at the species level, and understanding this is crucial for making sense of the current crisis.

Conclusion

Climate change is an unintended consequence of human action, revealed through scientific analysis. "Species" may represent a placeholder for a new universal history of humans, emerging in response to the danger of climate change. This crisis poses questions about human collectivity and points to a universal understanding that currently exceeds our capacity to fully grasp. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need to integrate human history and natural history to address the challenges of climate change.