Closing Time

Résumé 0

Today, we face the looming threat of irreversible ecological meltdown (runaway climate change, biodiversity collapse, etc.), and technological disaster (in particular, the nuclear threat). To defer these dangers from being realised, a change of direction is needed in how political actors think and behave. The political apparatus as we know it has been built on a 'continuist' vision, which is typical of the modern era: time is thought of as being utterly limitless. However, we may now be facing a very real limit: in what is referred to as the 'End Times', humanity's time on Earth may very well come to an end-we may go the way of countless species before us, into extinction and obscurity. The image of a closing window facilitates a political perspective of time that is adjusted to take account of these all-too-real threats. It serves as a counterweight in the political mechanism. Taking a realistic view in light of the upheavals currently in progress, the options available to us for action become clear. Representing a relatively short time, the concept of a closing window highlights the need to reassess the aims of political action, from a balanced perspective integrating today's people, future generations and non-humans alike. This article presents the main features of the concept and the political prospects which it opens up.