Panel: PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION - RELIGION AND SOCIETAL-CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION



73.6 - RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY IN THE ANTHROPOCENE, IMAGINING 'AFTER THE DEATH OF GOD, HUMAN, AND NATURE'

AUTHORS:
Wanseok P. ( Ph.D. Candidate, Philosophy of Religion, United Graduate School of Theology Yonsei University ~ seoul ~ Korea, Republic of)
Text:
This paper examines the potential for a radical paradigm shift in theology and religious philosophy in response to the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene highlights the unprecedented influence of humans as geological agents, significantly impacting Earth's ecosystems and climate systems. It also encompasses the pressing threats of climate collapse, ecological destruction, the sixth mass extinction, and the existential crisis of humanity. These challenges necessitate a fundamental reevaluation of traditional concepts and frameworks regarding God, human, and nature. Traditional theology and philosophy have often fallen short in adequately addressing human's destructive impact, the agency of non human entities, and the 'planetary entanglement of God-human-nature.' In this context, the paper explores the religious-philosophical imagination required to engage with the critical concerns of the Anthropocene. Through a critical dialogue with new materialism and posthumanism, this paper redefines the understanding of the triadic relationship between God, human, and nature amidst the Anthropocene crisis. It also reconstructs ecological worldview and ontology, paving the way for a new perspective. Ultimately, the religious philosophy of the Anthropocene advocates for recognizing the 'planetary entanglement of God-human-nature' and urges a radical shift from the anthropocentric paradigm of modern civilization to an ecological civilization that prioritizes 'the coexistence of God-human-nature.' By doing so, it aims to contribute to the formation of discourses capable of addressing the current planetary crisis.