I think it would be useful. Anthropocene has a chance to be more popular due to the growing mainstream discourse of human impact on earth. Nevertheless, the core of its meaning (human impact on geos) was already outlined by V.  Vernadsky (Noosphere) and for good.

It seems to me that the term 'Anthropocene' as currently refer to only signifies the latest stage of such impact in the context of a perceived geological catastrophe

Interesting, your reference to a perceived geological catastrophe. It is probably true that our mistreatment of the Earth may end in a disaster for humanity, but as a geologist, I would argue that the Earth system is highly resilient and will recover. Earth and life has survived nearly total glaciations and superhot periods in the past. At geological time scales, recovery of biota after near-total extinctions was quite rapid. The resilience of human societies faced by grave changes is another matter.  But again, in the last 2 million years we have survived ice ages and interglacial periods, here in Austria one with a tropical flora at 2000 metres above sea level.

So I think we should not capitulate but be prepared to hold our ground.

Walter, yours are wonderful thoughts.

I am also optimistic.  The same as you, my hope is not based on the autonomous geological recovery of Earth but on the wisdom of humanity to avoid a catastrophe and, if it actually happens, humanity's wisdom to survive and restore.

I am not a geologist but I learn from my wife who does sustainability research and follows planetary geology of Vladimir Vernadsky. We sometimes work together on sustainability education (see below). We are friends of Galina SIKORSKAYA of the Russian Academy of Science--she is an authority in Noorpherism.

The term Anthropocene mainly focuses on the negative impact, and that is the reason I am not so keen. I guess that those radical proponents of "Earth without humans" would be very happy with the term. The period/era will only end with the extinction of humans. They do not realize that, if so, there will be nobody around to tell that their scientific postulate and doomsday philosophy were right. But, then, there is even a greater chance that Anthropocene will last until the next glaciation with humanity very happy to be around.

Chapter Complexity of Campus Sustainability Discourse

Jae Park, thank you for your interesting intellectual paper. Myself, I believe that Universities should foremost teach students a pure rational understanding of things. I am not sure what you mean when you propose ensoulment of students – is it the environmental fervour of Greenpeace you propose to instil? A kind of religion? Or is it what we would normally call enthusiasm for their academic work that we try to raise in the young people?

Thank you, Walter.

We wanted to metaphorically emphasize not only instructors' effort to foster environmental values among students but also students' autonomous efforts to deeply in-corporate such values making them part of their personhood. It  is an instillation of a spirit of concern and care for environmental issues. I thought that Aristotle and Aquinas' ensoulment, that is, incorporation of 'pneuma' 'spirit' or 'soul' into a body could be a good figurative description.

Certainly, we did not mean any sort of shallow enthusiasm for political and motto-based activism of some international NGOs. These NGOs are doing their part and their merits should not be taken away. What we tried to convey was a deeper inner transformation in the mind and heart  of students.

Our book chapter is a result of our engagement with scholars who participated (we both also did)in the Rio +25 international summit.

Dear Walter

I haven't seen you here for a while.  I found a new book on this topic (See below).  I made a search in Research Gate on everything related to Anthropocene, and you can access by clicking this: https://www.researchgate.net/search.Search.html?type=question&query=anthropocene

Title:NEW EARTH POLITICS: ESSAYS FROM THE ANTHROPOCENE

Editor:SIMON NICHOLSON

Publisher:MIT PRESS Place of Publication:CAMBRIDGE

Pub Year:2016 ISBN:9780262034364 Country Of Origin:US

Binding:Cloth Pagination:442 P.

Series Title:EARTH SYSTEM GOVERNANCE.

Series Type:Unnumbered Series

Series ID:61196 Series Format:Print

Content Level:ADV-AC YBP Select:Research-Recommended

LC Class:GE195.N478 2016

Subject Headings:1. ENVIRONMENTALISM--POL. ASPECTS. 2. HUMAN ECOLOGY--POL. ASPECTS.

YBP Interdisciplinary Topics:Environmental; Political; Public Policy

Approval Note:ED: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. COLLECTION OF NEW ESSAYS ON GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS.

Format:Collection/New

Faculty Affiliation:American University (DC)

Language:English LCCN:2015038403

US List:68.00 USD US Status:Orders accepted

Also Available From: YBP MARKETPLACE

Handled On Approval YBP-US:4/13/2016 Last Received YBP-US:4/7/2016

UK List:46.95 GBP UK Status:Orders accepted

Est. US Net:52.36 USD

Dear Jae, I was doing field work in Africa. Thank you for coming back to this question. So you found a whole book by political scientists on the Anthropocene. Curious, because the core of the whole discussion is if a new geological term should be officially introduced/adopted by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). Geologists are divided and a decision is yet to be found, along the existing rules.

Let me ask if other sciences and the media like the term so much, and a start of the A. being proposed at 1945, why not use the term for our present historical period?

Your research shows that this is the case already.