Post-Dominion: Reconfigurations of Human–Earth Relations in the Anthropocene

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.