Herodotus in the Anthropocene - by Joel Alden Schlosser (Paperback)

About the Book

"Can human beings flourish on Earth without destroying the very earthly basis of such flourishing? Herodotus in the Anthropocene develops a vision of earthly flourishing that can inspire and inform action in the twenty-first century. The author argues that Herodotus' Histories offer a basis for articulating and understanding the dynamic nature of our complex world and how human beings develop cultural practices in responsive interaction with nature that shape existence. Earthly flourishing describes living well within an order not entirely of your own making; it suggests the ongoing work of responsive adaptation to circumstances, events, and the fluctuations of fate in an uncertain and often unkind world. According to the author, Herodotus can inspire creative and collective responses to the urgent problems of the present"--

Book Synopsis

We are living in the age of the Anthropocene, in which human activities are recognized for effecting potentially catastrophic environmental change. In this book, Joel Alden Schlosser argues that our current state of affairs calls for a creative political response, and he finds inspiration in an unexpected source: the ancient writings of the Greek historian Herodotus. Focusing on the Histories, written in the fifth century BCE, Schlosser identifies a cluster of concepts that allow us to better grasp the dynamic complexity of a world in flux.

Schlosser shows that the Histories, which chronicle the interactions among the Greek city-states and their neighbors that culminated in the Persian Wars, illuminate a telling paradox: at those times when humans appear capable of exerting more influence than ever before, they must also assert collective agency to avoid their own downfall. Here, success depends on nomoi, or the culture, customs, and laws that organize human communities and make them adaptable through cooperation. Nomoi arise through sustained contact between humans and their surroundings and function best when practiced willingly and with the support of strong commitments to the equality of all participants. Thus, nomoi are the very substance of political agency and, ultimately, the key to freedom and ecological survival because they guide communities to work together to respond to challenges. An ingenious contribution to political theory, political philosophy, and ecology, Herodotus in the Anthropocene reminds us that the best perspective on the present can often be gained through the lens of the past.

Review Quotes

"Schlosser's rich and detailed account of the Histories will be of great interest to scholars of Herodotus, stretching far beyond Herodotus's relevance to the Anthropocene. There are textually detailed and careful readings of the many episodes of the Histories, rethinking and reinterpreting foundational ideas such as nomoi, the oikeomenê (the known world), equality. . . and freedom (elutheria)."-- "Perspectives on Politics"

"There is something in this engagingly written book for several interest groups. For the student of Herodotus there is the stimulus of being asked to admire, as virtues, characteristics of his approach to history which are more frequently regarded as vices; for the student of political science there are some interesting insights into to the complicated characteristics of democracy; for the student of the Anthropocene there is the encouragement to use the example of Herodotus to think more pluralistically about their research."-- "Classics for All"

"Herodotus can serve as an engaging guide to a contemporary understanding of the challenges emerging from a changing and powerful nature that is itself constituted by human actions. There is much that is valuable and insightful that comes from reading Herodotus; Schlosser most skillfully and elegantly connects those insights to the larger themes of nature and human interaction and the consequences of those interactions for our political life."--Arlene Saxonhouse, University of Michigan

"Schlosser is a master at making old texts relevant to the new world, and, with Herodotus in the Anthropocene, he brings Herodotus into conversation with the present, as a kind of corrective to modern liberal political theory. Such an orientation toward the political world--toward human activity and possibility--is one we need to embrace in the present, anthropocenic age. This is a strong and provocative explication that deserves attention in political theory and beyond."--Susan McWilliams Barndt, Pomona College

About the Author

Joel Alden Schlosser is associate professor and chair of political science at Bryn Mawr College. He is the author of What Would Socrates Do?: Self-Examination, Civic Engagement, and the Politics of Philosophy.