The end of the world is a seemingly interminable topic Ð at least, of
course, until it happens. Environmental catastrophe and planetary
apocalypse are subjects of enduring fascination and, as ethnographic
studies show, human cultures have approached them in very different
ways. Indeed, in the face of the growing perception of the dire effects
of global warming, some of these visions have been given a new lease on
life. Information and analyses concerning the human causes and the
catastrophic consequences of the planetary 'crisis' have been
accumulating at an ever-increasing rate, mobilising popular opinion as
well as academic reflection.
In this book, philosopher Déborah Danowski and anthropologist Eduardo
Viveiros de Castro offer a bold overview and interpretation of these
current discourses on 'the end of the world', reading them as thought
experiments on the decline of the West's anthropological adventure Ð
that is, as attempts, though not necessarily intentional ones, at
inventing a mythology that is adequate to the present. This work has
important implications for the future development of ecological
practices and it will appeal to a broad audience interested in
contemporary anthropology, philosophy, and environmentalism.
