The Three-Body Problem and the Anthropocene
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11128015 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Veronica Korber Gonçalves (0000-0001-7144-4707, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Thais Lemos Ribeiro (0000-0002-8260-4021, Universidade de Brasília), Cristina Yumie Aoki Inoue (0000-0003-3696-252X, Radboud University, Netherlands) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Contexto Internacional (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0102-8529 • E-ISSN: 1982-0240 |
| Publisher | FapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1590/s0102-8529.20244603e20220045 |
| OpenAlex | W4405421713 |
| SCIELO_PID | S0102-85292024000301109 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 18 |
The so-called Anthropocene is a new epoch characterized by deep biophysical changes that threaten the continuity of life on Earth for millions of species, including humans. This instability scenario challenges International Relations (IR) to rethink itself. As a narrative of our fears and imaginative efforts about the future, science fiction provides thought experiments on potential and indeterminate paths for humanity. In ‘The Problem of 3 Bodies’ trilogy, Cixin Liu builds a dystopian reality, suggesting insights into the Anthropocene. Through this narrative, we can explore the limits of positivist epistemology, challenge the conventional understanding of the international system as a closed anarchical structure, and reflect on some of the consequences of anthropocentrism. This article aims to illustrate how SciFi can be a portal to reflect on a planet full of instabilities by drawing a parallel between Liu’s trilogy and the impacts of the Anthropocene in IR. Thus, we dialogue with dilemmas and solutions designed by the author to speculate about time, technology, institutions, the indeterminacy of the future, and the fragility of human existence, themes still underexplored in International Relations studies but common in the Anthropocene scholarship. However, the solutions envisaged by Liu bet on scientific-technological development, leaving aside relevant issues such as inequalities, injustices, and other ways of knowing
Anthropocene · Geography · Climate Change and Geoengineering · Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution · Geology · Paleontology · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
Defining the Anthropocene
Planetary boundaries
The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations
After Hegemony
Chinese Science Fiction in the Anthropocene
The Anthropocene and the geo-political imagination
Plausible and desirable futures in the Anthropocene
The fifth debate and the emergence of complex international relations theory
Theory of international politics
The Regime Complex for Climate Change
Images of International Politics in Chinese Science Fiction
The Ends of the World
Where is the Anthropocene? IR in a new geological epoch
The trajectory of the Anthropocene
Beyond Narcissism
The Challenges of the Anthropocene
Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Plantationocene, Chthulucene
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |