Conditio Humana—The Geologization of Culture

This chapter asks what the Anthropocene means for a new science of man. The idea of the Anthropocene clearly goes far beyond the widespread concept of “anthropogenic,” which is elucidated by the clarification of the difference between geological and historical or archaeological periodization concepts. Only by connecting the materially open concept of culture in cultural anthropology with the concept of planetarity will the fundamental material entanglement of man and nature become clear. For a causal explanation of transgenerational change and especially the dynamics of the Anthropocene, I connect the idea of the Anthropocene with the concept of niche construction from evolutionary ecology. This reveals a threefold heritage that is crucial for understanding the Anthropocene: the genetic heritage, the cultural heritage, and the anthropogenic geospheric heritage.