Micro-Landscapes of the AnthropoceneMain MenuMarginal WorldsPlant WorldsAnimal WorldsAmy Huang, Natasha Stavreski and Rose RzepaWatery WorldsInsect WorldsBird-Atmosphere WorldsContributed by Gemma and MerahExtinctionsMarginal WorldsSam, Zach and AlexE-ConceptsAn emergent vocabulary of eco-concepts for the late AnthropoceneSigi Jöttkandt4115726eb75e75e43252a5cbfc72a780d0304d7d
12018-10-18T00:15:06-07:00Post Card 1 - Raymond May4plain2018-10-18T00:21:20-07:00It is interesting how the death of an entire species is represented through a single animal such as the Thylacine. It comes to show humans being at the top of the chain of being; this strong anthropocentric view placing them as the central element of existence as opposed to nature.
However, as brought out in the E-Concept of extinction, we are only “briefly in the golden age of our power” but “are destined to extinction, just as the dinosaurs became extinct” (Zalasiewicz, 2008). I believe that we are due to become subject to something greater than us that we may try to control but because we lack knowledge of and are not in positions to tame it, we are simply unable to.
Hence this raises questions such as, are humans really the dominant ones in existence? Some would say yes, some would say no. Also, are humans subject to something more powerful, enough to cause them to become extinct? Will we be trophies of some other being or force? This is something that I found really interesting when coming across this part of the photo essay. It links to an aspect that was presented in Watery Worlds where the strength of water is enough to bring an end to life, both to animals, and to humans.
ARTS3050 – Reading Nature: Jan Zalasiewicz, The Earth After Us (2008)