Introduction

We are situated in a time that some scholars have named the ‘Anthropocene’: an era of man- made environmental transformation and destruction (Crutzen and Stoermer, 2000). Some of us wonder, did the earth already reach a status beyond repair? In this time of mass extinction, the accumulation of capital feasts on death, and in doing so, devours all life (McBrien, 2016: 116). But it must be said, these narratives make everything look rather dim. It is quite easy to lose any hope for better futures by attaching to these dystopian worldviews. Likely the scenarios that are set out here are all true, but they also do not make space for any other truths. Therefore, according to Haraway, they are unhelpful stories to think with, because they all end badly (Haraway, 2016: 49). Especially for future makers and speculative thinkers who are trying to come up with positive or more desirable scenarios, the notion of the Anthropocene seems to be a trap: it presents a view of the world that is mainly concerned with humans and the environmental destruction that humans cause. It remains to be a human- centred story. ‘The human social apparatus of the Anthropocene tends to be top- heavy and bureaucracy prone. Revolt needs other forms of action and other stories for solace, inspiration and effectiveness.’ (Haraway, 2016: 49) And most of all: ‘it also saps our capacity for imagining and caring for other worlds, both those that exist precariously … and those we need to bring into being’ (Haraway, 2016: 50). In order to come up with alternatives to anthropocentrism, creators need narratives that help to create, imagine and speculate about other futures. Therefore, this text argues that a sole focus on concepts like extinction, death and anthropocentrism is paralysing for those that attempt to create conceptual and speculative spaces that inspire different possibilities.

In a discussion on the meaning of concepts, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari (1994) argue that the activity of doing philosophy entails the creation of concepts, and turn philosophical thinking into something that is much akin to the creation of art.