Post-Dominion

Reconfigurations of Human–Earth Relations in the Anthropocene

Datos Bibliográficos

ID20249609
AutoresJörg Noller (0000-0002-1070-156X, Leipzig University of Applied Sciences, autor de correspondencia)
Año2026
Volumen17
Número7
Páginas776
Fecha de publicación2026-06-28
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReligions (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
EditorialMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel17070776
OpenAlexW7166722114
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas16

This paper investigates how religious narratives are transformed under the conditions of the Anthropocene by reinterpreting the biblical mandate of dominion as a condition of post-dominion. The Anthropocene designates a historical situation in which human agency has attained planetary dimensions, thereby seemingly fulfilling the scriptural command to “subdue” the Earth. Yet this fulfillment proves profoundly paradoxical. Human domination over nature increasingly destabilizes the ecological conditions of human existence itself. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecological disruption reveal that the logic of mastery rebounds upon humanity, producing forms of self-subjugation through unintended consequences of technological and economic power. The paper argues that the Anthropocene dissolves the classical distinction between nature and culture and confronts religious thought with hybrid ecological realities that mediate human agency and responsibility. By introducing the concept of post-dominion, the paper develops a theological framework emphasizing dependency, restraint, humility, and care as central categories for rethinking religion and ethics in the Anthropocene

Agency (philosophy) · Anthropocene · Dominion · Mandate · Narrative · Non-human · Unintended consequences · Ecocriticism and Environmental Literature · Religion, Ecology, and Ethics · Theological Perspectives and Practices