Paradigms of Crisis: Colonial Representations of Humans as a Phenomenon in Planetary Metaphysics

Andrea Sullivan-Clarke (University of Windsor)

When selecting paradigms that guide scientific research, epistemic promise appears on the surface to be a primary criteria for selection. However, given that paradigms are derived from ordinary language, it is reasonable to also ask whether those paradigms are products of unexamined colonialism. The potential for oppression and marginalization increases when the solutions to scientific problems are framed in terms of impending crisis (Whyte 2021). In such cases, the use of some paradigms could further the projects of colonialism and oppression in the name of science, which is especially worrisome given that science grounds social and governmental policy. I examine two contemporary paradigms present in Earth science research: the Noosphere and the Anthropocene. These concepts envision human beings as a planetary phenomenon through specific metaphors: the cosmic sphere (noosphere) and disruptive force (Anthropocene). While each could serve as a competing paradigm to the other, giving them the potential to provide mutual critique, I argue that each is founded on a western conception of epistemology that fails to include the worldview of Indigenous people and communities across the globe. Additionally, when placed in the context of planetary crisis, the likelihood of Indigenous communities bearing the costs of proposed planetary solutions increases, making the metaphors themselves a source of oppression and colonialism. In an effort to decolonize the selection of paradigms within the Earth Sciences, I propose that a more robust critique of the metaphors can be achieved by engaging with a Muscogee worldview (Miller, 2023), namely etemeyaske vpokat (“living together peacefully” or “harmony”).