Anthropocide: Human - Animal
The Human-Animal is an idea that has been thoroughly explored in Luther Standing Bear’s text Nature. It is inevitable to consider humans relationships with other living beings such as animals. Humans are an extremely heterogeneous lot. There are large differences about attitudes toward animals and the environment within cultural and religious groups and more significant variations among different groups (Bekoff, 289).
Though the concept of Anthropocide calls attention to the way in which humans interact with the environment and mainly our impact in the natural landscape. There is a need to explore the ramifications with animals, not just the environment which we share but the sense of affinity.
Image 1: Polar Bears eating garbage
These lines from the previous student captures this:
“ Breaking down this western dualism between man and animal needs to begin with an understanding of this other as important/useful despite not being "human". I think with increased attention and effort in this area, we are very close to reaching the Human-Animal - a creature who can be appreciated in both the "human" and "animal" realm as native or wanted. “
Correspondingly, the image emphasises the need to address the trauma created by humans on animals. By acknowledging this, we can confront the catastrophe and recognise that there is salvation at the end (Timofeeva). Similar to animals, as they try to connect with the new environment, it is humanity’s obligation to see past the reality and understand the realness of the catastrophe.
References:
Bekoff, Marc. Ignoring Nature No More : the Case for Compassionate Conservation. The University of Chicago Press, 2013.
Crist, Eileen. “Ecocide and the Extinction of Animal Minds.” Ignoring Nature No More, University of Chicago Press, 2013, doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226925363.003.0003.
Timofeeva, Oxana. “The End of the World: From Apocalypse to the End of History and Back.” E-flux, June 2014, https://www.e-flux.com/journal/56/60337/the-end-of-the-world-from-apocalypse-to-the-end-of-history-and-back/.