Historian Clifton Crais Argues Modern Era Should Be Defined by Mass Violence, Not Anthropocene

In The Killing Age, the American historian Clifton Crais contends that the modern era should not be defined as the Anthropocene – an Age of Man characterised by rapidly expanding knowledge and large-scale human influence on the planet – but rather as an age defined by mass killing and violence.

Crais argues that the Enlightenment's celebration of reason and progress was accompanied by unprecedented violence, including slavery, colonialism, and genocide.

The article challenges the traditional narrative of the Enlightenment as purely progressive, examining how its ideals contributed to systems of oppression and violence.

Through historical analysis, Crais reveals how Enlightenment thinking was intertwined with the justification and implementation of mass violence across the globe.