ABSTRACT The idea that there exists a natural relationship between intellectual freedom, legitimate political authority and enjoyment of a dignified life was central to the European Enlightenment and to the radical social change it inspired. This normative claim was rooted in an epistemological proposition: truth is not revealed in private to a select few but discovered in public, through observation, dialogue and critique. Material transformations associated with that proposition have since literally changed the face of the earth. While the materially transformative potential of this proposition has been realized across the planet, its social justice implications have not. This leaves an underdetermined space in democratic discourse: fact claims are treated as apolitical, while the causes and consequences of the Anthropocene are uncertain and values regarding its importance polarised, rendering that status obsolete. In addition to contributing toward understanding human-environment relationships, fact now also serve to destabilize political discourse. Their instrumentalization exerts control in the absence of normative intention, ‘untrol’: truth claims matter not only because they call the moral subject to action but also because they can proffer political standing. Humbly embracing the epistemological complexity of the Anthropocene through Eagleton’s posture of ‘hope without optimism’ is proposed as an antidote.

中文翻译：

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失控：后真相与后常态科学的新常态

摘要 知识自由、合法的政治权威和享受有尊严的生活之间存在一种自然关系的想法是欧洲启蒙运动及其激发的激进社会变革的核心。这种规范性主张植根于一个认识论命题：真理不是私下向少数人透露的，而是通过观察、对话和批评公开发现的。与该命题相关的物质转变从此彻底改变了地球的面貌。虽然这一提议的实质性变革潜力已在全球范围内实现，但其社会正义影响尚未实现。这在民主话语中留下了不确定的空间：事实主张被视为非政治性的，而人类世的原因和后果是不确定的，关于其重要性的价值观两极分化，使这种地位变得过时。除了有助于理解人类与环境的关系之外，事实现在还有助于破坏政治话语的稳定。他们的工具化在没有规范意图的情况下施加控制，“控制”：真理主张重要不仅因为他们将道德主体称为行动，还因为他们可以提供政治立场。通过伊格尔顿“没有乐观的希望”的姿态谦虚地拥抱人类世的认识论复杂性被提议作为一种解毒剂。事实现在也有助于破坏政治话语的稳定。他们的工具化在没有规范意图的情况下施加控制，“控制”：真理主张重要不仅因为他们将道德主体称为行动，还因为他们可以提供政治立场。通过伊格尔顿“没有乐观的希望”的姿态谦虚地拥抱人类世的认识论复杂性被提议作为一种解毒剂。事实现在也有助于破坏政治话语的稳定。他们的工具化在没有规范意图的情况下施加控制，“控制”：真理主张重要不仅因为他们将道德主体称为行动，还因为他们可以提供政治立场。通过伊格尔顿“没有乐观的希望”的姿态谦虚地拥抱人类世的认识论复杂性被提议作为一种解毒剂。