Scholar reframes apocalyptic thinking as serious historical tool, not religious doom
A historian argues that climate and Anthropocene discourse relies on a distinct secular apocalyptic narrative—one that differs fundamentally from religious eschatology yet still shapes how societies bind past, present, and future into coherent policy frameworks. Understanding this distinction matters for leaders making long-term strategic decisions based on existential risk narratives.
Originaltitel: Two Concepts of Apocalypse and Apocalyptic History Today
<p>An apocalyptic imaginary appears so frequently in debates on climate change and the Anthropocene that it might be considered the dominant historical narrative of our time. However, when dealing with apocalypticism, biblical references are not always appropriate. In this article, I argue that we are dealing with two different concepts of apocalypticism, and that the new apocalyptic history is not a negative version of the religious apocalypse. Second, I also argue that the new apocalyptic history nevertheless seems to revolve around the idea of the promise as a specific historical way of binding the past, present and future into a coherent history that, ironically, seems to open up a dialogue with the history of theology.</p>