This episode presents a conversational overview of the following source:

Luke, T. W. (2017). Reconstructing social theory and the Anthropocene.  European Journal of Social Theory, 20(1), 80–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368431016647971The author, Timothy W. Luke, argues that while the scientific concept of the Anthropocene (a new geological age defined by human-caused changes to the Earth) is significant, many understandings of it in social theory are actually politicized over-interpretations of natural events. He suggests that these interpretations are being used to develop moral rhetorics and operational plans for managing the Anthropocene, often advancing the policy agendas of those who propose to be the managers. Luke contends that advocates of 'Anthropocenarian politics' ignore the fact that human beings may not possess the necessary technical control to manage these changes to advance their specific policy goals. He suggests that social theory needs to be cautious with Anthropocene-centred analysis because many of its claims are either overblown or understated, and the thesis has significant conceptual, historical, and political shortcomings