Rewilding Philosophy part I

In the challenging landscape of the Anthropocene, we face a unique obstacle in our pursuit of a meaningful existence: How to live in the Anthropocene?

While this question might seem obvious to answer for some of us, it is less so for those who are deeply concerned with the state of the earth and are searching for ways to become part of the solution. How to live doesn’t only concern our private lives, such as what groceries to buy - organic or convenience. It also concerns our public lives, for example, how we act and make decisions in the workspace if we incorporate environmental aspects into our business decisions, and if we do, to what degree.

In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to make those decisions because society would model a way of living that we can adopt and that is beneficial. We would have ideal infrastructures in place that make such considerations superfluous. For example, supermarkets would exclusively offer organic foods that are good for us and the ecosystems they come from. Moral decisions about living daily life would be the exception. Yet - in the Anthropocene - if we want to make decisions that are beneficial for the overall aliveness of the planet, almost everything becomes a conscious decision. As environmental philosopher Dale Jamieson says, “The Anthropocene presents novel challenges for living a meaningful life.”