The Anthropocene is a singularly powerful conceptual tool. In fact, it is the only holistic conceptual tool with a basis in scientific knowledge. The concepts of nature and the environment are philosophical tools. The concept of sustainable development is an economic tool. The concept of green growth borders on neoliberal ideology, conceived without any grounding in biogeophysical reality. The fact that the Anthropocene is a holistic concept with a scientific grounding makes it a powerful political tool with which to challenge the public authorities. Indeed, it is the notion of rupture, which is specific to the Anthropocene, that gives full meaning to biogeophysical knowledge. This paradigm of disruptive change is markedly absent from the public arena, where political narratives remain imbued with the destructive logics that have governed the past (organised around the exploitation of natural resources and growth that is unsustainable from a biogeophysical point of view). However, if the logic of rupture inherent in the biogeophysical knowledge of the Anthropocene is to enter into the public arena, it must be achieved within a paradoxical approach, enabling opposing realities to be thought of together. Whereas breaking with the past leaves us with a sickening feeling of emptiness, the paradox allows us to hold on to our thoughts and actions. Here, the educational function of preparing for and opening up the future will serve as a compass for thinking about action.