Antropocene e democrazia

Abstract

The Anthropocene and its problems unveil and exacerbate some vulnerabilities of democratic theory and practice, particular in its liberal version. Both liberal democracies’ failures and their most promising attempts at managing these problems expose them to powerful legitimacy challenges. The Anthropocene is thus for liberal democracies what Scylla and Carybdis were for Ulysses and his crew: a predicament whereby whichever direction is chosen will lead to serious difficulties and risks, and possibly to significant damages and losses.