The first movement is, of course, the significance of humans as a species with planetary impacts. The Anthropocene signals humanity as a transformer, or a terraformer, of our planet - producing effects comparable to grand geological shifts.1 For the purpose of this discussion, we can distinguish three “movements” of the Anthropocene. Much is now written about the so-called “Anthropocene,” a new epoch that signifies humanity as more than just a passive traveller on planet Earth. The Commons as Mutualization for the Anthropocene In this chapter, we explain the intertwined and integral emergence of the planetary and the commons as complementary fields of experience and their role in the reimagination of who we are.ġ. The moment, however, is the birth of the “planetary” as an element of human experience, and this transition is, according to our perspective, the transition from social orders based on exploitation to social orders based on generative mutuality. We live in a transformative moment in human history, at once on the precipice of crisis and simultaneously awakening into a new awareness of ourselves as commoners and planetary beings.įor the individual, this transformative moment in human history feels more like a crisis than a transition - drawn out, full of dangers, obstacles, and growing pains. You can find out more about the book and download it for free here.

This is the first part of the chapter Awakening to an Ecology of the Commons, written by Michel Bauwens and Jose Ramos.

This post is an excerpt from The Great Awakening: New Modes of Life amidst Capitalist Ruins, edited by David Bollier and Anna Grear and published by Punctum Books.

The Great Awokening by Meagan C. Elling