Bobadilla, Hernan (2021) What is at Stake in the Formalization of a Chronostratigraphic Unit? A Case Study on the Anthropocene. In: UNSPECIFIED.

Text What is at Stake in the Formalization of a Chronostratigraphic Unit_ A Case Study on the Anthropocene FINAL.docx Download (52kB)

Abstract

The possibility of formalizing the Anthropocene as a chronostratigraphic unit by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) has been intensely debated. The aim of this paper is to explore and assess some of the stakes of this process from a philosophical point of view. In order to do this, I distinguish and explicate two senses of formalization, namely the descriptive and the evaluative senses. With this distinction at hand, I conclude the following. First, I submit that there are formalizations of the Anthropocene, in both descriptive and evaluative senses, beyond the confines of the ICS, which reveals a disunity of the sciences. Second, I suggest that some calls for rejecting the formalization of the Anthropocene in the context of the ICS are concerned with a lack of descriptive formality of the proposals in the form of incoherencies. I argue that these incoherencies are not a decisive reason for rejection. Third, I claim that the ICS could take a stance in terms of the evaluative formalization of the Anthropocene, given its orthogonality to its descriptive formalization and its potential political consequences.

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Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Bobadilla, Hernan hernan.bobadilla@univie.ac.at 0000-0003-0003-9952
Keywords:	Anthropocene, formalization, chronostratigraphic unit
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Earth Sciences General Issues > Philosophers of Science
Depositing User:	Dr. Hernan Bobadilla
Date Deposited:	12 Nov 2021 04:05
Last Modified:	12 Nov 2021 04:05
Item ID:	19833
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Earth Sciences General Issues > Philosophers of Science
Date:	9 November 2021
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/19833

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• What is at Stake in the Formalization of a Chronostratigraphic Unit? A Case Study on the Anthropocene. (deposited 12 Nov 2021 04:05) [Currently Displayed]
  • What is at Stake in the Formalization of a Chronostratigraphic Unit? A Case Study on the Anthropocene. (deposited 10 May 2022 04:09)

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