Papers by Eugenio Luciano
Veganism and Its Challenges: The Case of Iceland, 2023
Our research discusses how four main ethical challenges to veganism manifest in the context of Ic... more Our research discusses how four main ethical challenges to veganism manifest in the context of Iceland. Veganism is becoming an increasingly popular lifestyle in many parts of the world, especially in OECD countries. Studies on the motivation for choosing a vegan lifestyle (which includes, but is not restricted to, following a vegan diet) include ethical considerations, dietary choices, personal health, taste, religious and political beliefs, or environmental concerns. Ethics plays a particularly important role, and as such, veganism has become a central object of interest in recent conversations on animal rights and welfare among ethicists. Our analysis reviews four ethical challenges (i.e., the challenge of universality, demandingness, causal impotence, and the least environmental harm principle) in the literature that problematize the norms and rationale underpinning veganism and vegan discourse and discusses how each applies within the context of Icelandic society and geography. We conjecture that the particular economic, demographic, and geographic characteristics of Iceland indicate that being vegan in Iceland does not free oneself of having global social and environmental impacts on account of chosen dietary options. All diets constitute global systems that account for dependencies and opportunities, vulnerabilities, and strengths, which may challenge the assumption that veganism is a more socially and environmentally sustainable dietary option within this particular regional context.
The shape of Anthropocene: The early contribution of the water sciences, 2022
The conceptual history of the Anthropocene is well-known: after a few scattered appearances in So... more The conceptual history of the Anthropocene is well-known: after a few scattered appearances in Soviet literature, the term Anthropocene was reignited independently by Paul Crutzen during his famous intervention at the IGBP-SC meeting in Cuernavaca in February 2000. The standard narrative of the history of the term emphasizes the role of Earth System Science and geology in institutionalizing the term, and in paving the way for the term's current popularity within and beyond the natural sciences. Yet this standard account misses a third important contribution to the earliest assimilation, spread, and evolution of the term in the scientific literature: the water sciences. The present contribution reconsiders the role of seminal papers, individuals, and disciplinary areas in the water sciences in the early conceptual history of the Anthropocene concept. The analysis draws on three main findings concerning the early appearance, assimilation, and application of the term in water sciences literature which has been largely overshadowed in existing accounts of the history of the Anthropocene concept. Discussing these literary sources at the intersection of conceptual history, history of science, and scientometrics, the research argues that the water sciences were crucial in the early assimilation and application of the Anthropocene as a suitable and useful category in the international scientific community. In doing so, the analysis also advances that the water sciences should be considered as the third vector (together with Earth System Science and geology) in reconstructing the earliest conceptual history of the Anthropocene.
The British Journal for the History of Science, 2023
The figure of Antonio Stoppani (1824–91), an Italian priest, geologist and patriot, has re-emerge... more The figure of Antonio Stoppani (1824–91), an Italian priest, geologist and patriot, has re-emerged in the last decade thanks to discussions gravitating around the ‘Anthropocene’ – a term used to designate a proposed geological time unit defined and characterized by the mark left by anthropogenic activities on geological records. Among these discussions, Stoppani is often considered a precursor for popularizing the term ‘Anthropozoic’, which he used to describe and characterize the latest ‘era’ of Earth's geological time. His writings, largely unknown to an international audience before the ‘Anthropocene saga’, have been particularly in the spotlight after Valeria Federighi translated excerpts of his main geological work, Corso di Geologia, originally published in three volumes between 1871 and 1873. In the first edition of Corso di Geologia, namely Note ad un Corso Annual di Geologia, or simply Note, published between 1865 and 1870, Stoppani characterized the Anthropozoic in stratigraphic terms. In particular, Chapter 15 of the second volume of Note (1867) represents the first stratigraphic characterization that the author provides of the Anthropozoic. Our contribution here brings, for the first time, a translation of Chapter 15 to a broader international audience, accompanied by a critical commentary elucidating the broader social, political, religious and scientific context wherein the notion of Anthropozoic emerged in Stoppani's writings.
Research Article, 2022
Over the past two decades, the Anthropocene has become a concept of multidisciplinary interest an... more Over the past two decades, the Anthropocene has become a concept of multidisciplinary interest and research. A topic of particular interest has been the history of the Anthropocene. The underlying ambiguity of this topic opens it up to four different meanings, each engendering a discrete research trajectory within the emerging field of Anthropocene studies. The present contribution maps these four research trajectories stemming respectively from geology, Earth system science, environmental history and conceptual history. It also explores ways in which these histories overlap, complement or conflict with one another in understanding the global phenomenon that the Anthropocene represents. As the concept of the Anthropocene grows into a social, political and even educational vehicle for environmental communication, organising knowledge in and of the Anthropocene is an urgent task. This task requires going outside disciplinary comfort zones and engaging with neighbouring as well as distant disciplines with curiosity so as to disclose the full potential of the Anthropocene concept.
Is 'Anthropocene' a suitable chronostratigraphic term?, 2022
Over the past two decades, the term ‘Anthropocene’ has ignited widespread academic and public int... more Over the past two decades, the term ‘Anthropocene’ has ignited widespread academic and public interest. Since 2009, the term has been considered on stratigraphic grounds by the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG). The AWG has been championing a chronostratigraphic definition of the Anthropocene by advancing a proposal to formally recognize the unit as a post-Holocene epoch/series on the Geologic Time Scale and International Chronostratigraphic Chart. The proposal (i.e., the Anthropocene Hypothesis) has ignited debates among human, social, and natural scientists alike. One line of critique against the proposal concerns the chronostratigraphic suitability of the term ‘Anthropocene.’ This type of criticism holds that the term is inconsistent with the standard naming practices of the chronostratigraphic series; that it is inconsistent with other epochs of the Cenozoic era; that its etymology is faulty in several respects; and/or that its informal nature should be emphasized stylistically (e.g., with quotation marks or by writing the term with a lower-case initial). The present contribution reviews this criticism and discusses it in the context of (chrono)stratigraphic classification and nomenclature to assess whether ‘Anthropocene’ is a suitable chronostratigraphic term. To do so, the analysis comments on and discusses guidelines, recommendations, and suggestions drafted by the International Stratigraphic Guide, which represents an international framework of reference for stratigraphic classification and nomenclature. Based on the underlying philosophy and recommendation of the Guide, there seem to be reasons to consider the ‘Anthropocene’ a suitable term in the context of chronostratigraphic nomenclature.
Philosophical Skepticism
Paper originally meant for a journal no longer active.
Justified True Belief, 2020
Paper originally meant for a journal no longer active.
Epistemology: Introduction, 2020
Paper originally meant for a journal no longer active.
The Bears' Famous Invasion of Novaya Zemlya, Nov 14, 2019
Polar bears invade Russian archipelago and town in Novaya Zemlya, northern Russia.
Book Reviews by Eugenio Luciano
Global Environment 12(2), 2019
Book review of 'The Anthropocene as a Geological Time Unit: A Guide to the Scientific Evidence an... more Book review of 'The Anthropocene as a Geological Time Unit: A Guide to the Scientific Evidence and Current Debate' by Jan Zalasiewicz, Colin N. Waters, Mark Williams, and Colin P. Summerhayes (2009).
Book Review: Quest for the Unity of Knowledge, by David Lowenthal, 2019
“Two modes of understanding dominate the history of ideas. One posits the overarching unity of kn... more “Two modes of understanding dominate the history of ideas. One posits the overarching unity of knowledge, the other cherishes its multifarious diversity. Unity is the goal of those who seek a single all-encompassing explanation of everything. Diversity is lauded by those who commend difference and variety as life-enhancing” (p. 1). This is the underlying idea through which David Lowenthal explores major themes of pressing social and environmental relevance in Western thinking in his Quest for the Unity of the Knowledge, his last work published before his death in 2018. Is unifying knowledge achievable? Is it desirable? Answering these questions had been the central theme in the divide between the “Two Cultures,” namely the natural sciences and humanities. The natural sciences model the world through the language of mathematics, of “objectiveness” and logical coherence, seeking an ultimate answer or “theory of everything” that could explain worldly phenomena. The humanities, in contrast, emphasize the role of subjective experience, promoting multi-layered explanations of reality, and criticizing what many see as a disenchantment and soullessness that science has brought upon the natural world.
Thesis Chapters by Eugenio Luciano
The Anthropocene Hypothesis: Birth and Epistemology, 2021
The present doctoral dissertation explores the birth and epistemology of the Anthropocene Hypothe... more The present doctoral dissertation explores the birth and epistemology of the Anthropocene Hypothesis - that is, the 'stratigraphic' or 'geological' variant of the broader 'Anthropocene' concept. A fundamental target of the research is separating conceptually between the 'Anthropocene' as a boundary object - borrowed, re-shaped, and re-adapted by humanities, social sciences, and extra-academic domains - and the Anthropocene Hypothesis as the formulation of the 'Anthropocene' into stratigraphic grounds. A second related target is delineating an epistemology (i.e., the fundamental knowledge statements and epistemic context) of the Anthropocene Hypothesis based on its birth, its empirical body, its theoretical virtues, and the debates surrounding it. The research locates at the intersection of History and Philosophy of Science, Anthropocene Studies, and Interdisciplinary Research.
The theory of the Anthropocene: Inquiry into the ‘age of Anthropos’ between natural sciences and environmental humanities, May 3, 2018
The present MA research aims to analyze how the notion of ‘Anthropocene’ is implemented within th... more The present MA research aims to analyze how the notion of ‘Anthropocene’ is implemented within the scientific and humanistic inquiry. More specifically, the research will attempt to shed light and critically reflect upon the basic elements that constitute the Anthropocene as a potentially rich epistemic concept and as a ‘narrative’ – i.e. a set of beliefs, logics and reasoning that portray the ‘age of man’. This aim will be achieved through a critical meta-analysis of the current and most relevant literature on the matter, from the most recent geological and stratigraphical studies conducted by the Anthropocene Working Group to the questions on meaning and value raised by the humanistic agenda. The methodology is based on a philosophical approach – that is, reflecting on the language, meaning and knowledge that the Anthropocene narrative comprise of. The research attempts to answer to the need of formulating a theoretically solid and well-equipped framework to face the current and unprecedent environmental challenges as a complement to the dominant managerial and business-centered approach. In conclusion, it shall aim to promote the idea of creating interdisciplinary educational programs where scientific and humanistic language are integrated.
Conference Presentations by Eugenio Luciano
Can we envision a greentopia in the Anthropocene?, 2019
The following constitutes a revision of a paper presented at the conference ‘Greentopia: Ideas, C... more The following constitutes a revision of a paper presented at the conference ‘Greentopia: Ideas, Concepts and Institutional Proposals’ held at the University of Vienna, Philosophy Department, October 11-12, 2019.
The Anthropocene in its Early Scientific Phase (2000–2009): Objects and Objectives, 2019
The paper constitutes a revision of a presentation held at the panel ‘Negotiating the Boundaries ... more The paper constitutes a revision of a presentation held at the panel ‘Negotiating the Boundaries of Environmental History: Ideology vs. Matter’ during the 10th Biennial European Society for Environmental History (ESEH) Conference ‘Boundaries in/of Environmental History,’ held in Tallinn, August 21-25.
Talks by Eugenio Luciano
The Anthropocene: Challenging the Disciplines, Jul 16, 2019
The paper is a report of the workshop "The Anthropocene: Challenging the Disciplines" organized b... more The paper is a report of the workshop "The Anthropocene: Challenging the Disciplines" organized by the Anthropocene Vienna Network at the University of Vienna on April 8, 2019. Held on the 12th floor Sky Lounge of the university building at Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, the event had participants (including Anthropocene Working Group members) discussing the impact of the Anthropocene, both as global event and conceptual entity, on standard models of knowledge-making among disciplines.
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Papers by Eugenio Luciano
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