Dangers of Deep Time: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on Anthropocene Temporalities
Key Details
In November 2023, around thirty scholars gathered at Campion Hall, University of Oxford to discuss the idea of ‘deep time’ as a way of thinking about human impacts on the long-term planetary future.
The symposium was hosted by the Laudato Si’ Research Institute, with generous support from ECODISTURB, University of Oslo, and Pembroke College, University of Oxford.
Why think about the 'dangers' of deep time?
The symposium allowed us to consider how the idea of deep time enables us to rethink human and social temporalities in the context of planetary timescales. After all, decisions made now and in the coming decades may well determine the trajectory of the earth system for millennia. By expanding our temporal horizons, deep time thinkers aim to encourage reflection on sustainable practices in the present.
But the symposium also allowed us to address questions about the possible dangers of deep time. Is this concept able to generate the sort of behavioural change needed if global society is to address the ecological crisis for current and future generations? Or is the concept vulnerable to co-option by those seeking to perpetuate the existing trajectory? What are the risks associated with this interest in long-term thinking? And what are the dangers of advocating for this so-called ‘geological turn’ in the context of plural and interlocking human crises?
Interviews with speakers
The event resulted in a six-part audio interview series hosted by LSRI Affiliate Dr Tim Middleton with the support of the William Temple Foundation. Click on the images below to listen.
