The Ahuman Manifesto

Feb 5th 2020 in Cambridge professor of continental philosophy at Anglia Ruskin University, Patricia MacCormack, launched her book The Ahuman Manifesto: Activism for the End of the Anthropocene. In the book she argues that the only solution to climate change is to let the human race become extinct.

Professor MacCormack touches on subjects such as religion, identity politics, and how our hierarchical human-centric viewpoint leads us to ignore the destruction we are causing to our habitat and other beings. And this is the reason we should phase out human reproduction.

But rather than being a bleak negative book, MacCormack's vision of Earth's future without people is a joyful and optimistic one.

The Ahuman Manifesto's core claim is that humankind is enslaved by capitalism and the damage it causes and phasing out human reproduction is the only way to repair the damage.

A part of this change is to shift humans' view from being the single most important and dominant lifeform, but to do that we need to dismantle the hierarchies we have amongst ourselves.

Speaking in Cambridge, Professor MacCormack explained:

“The book also argues that we need to dismantle religion, and other overriding powers like the church of capitalism or the cult of self, as it makes people act upon enforced rules rather than respond thoughtfully to the situations in front of them.”

“Many people are surprised it’s so joyful and it has this radical compassion, which cares for the world. It’s not about our death, so much as it’s about celebrating the tools that exist to care for a decelerating Earth.

“People wonder why I don’t think humans are exceptional, dominant beings – but when I ask them why they think that, I never get a good answer back. The way we perceive the world isn’t the only one, we never think about animal life.

“Even Extinction Rebellion only focus on the effect this will have on human life when climate change is something that will affect every living being on the planet.”