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Loading... Extinction : evolution and the end of man (original 2002; edition 2002)by Michael Charles Boulter
Work InformationExtinction: Evolution and the End of Man by Michael Boulter (2002)
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Sixty-five million years ago the dinosaurs were destroyed in a mass extinction that remains unexplained. Out of that devastation, new life developed and the world regained its equilibrium. Until now. Employing radically new perspectives on the science of life, scientists are beginning to uncover signs of a similar event on the horizon: the end of man. In telling the story of the last sixty-five million years, Michael Boulter reveals extraordinary new insights that scientists are only now beginning to understand about the fossil record, the rise and fall of species, and the nature of life. According to Boulter, nature is a self-organizing system in which the whole is more important than its parts. The system is self-correcting, and one of its tools is extinction. If the system is disrupted, it will do what it must to restore balance. This book is a thoroughly researched introduction to the new developments in the science of life and a chilling account of the effects that humans have had on the planet. The world will adapt and survive; humanity most probably will not. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)576.8Natural sciences and mathematics Life Sciences, Biology Genetics and evolution EvolutionLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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From here, Boulter seems to argue that this means humanity is doomed. This seems quite a leap, especially in that he suggests no proximate cause. Basically it's something like, "We've messed up our climate. We're doomed." Clearly, Boulter is a pessimist when it comes to humanity. This comes through in some of his underlying assumptions (like peaceful Neanderthals vs. aggressive modern humans) and in not so subtle turns of phrase, one of which was 'our selfish burning of fossil fuels' (Pg 189). Sorry, but 'selfish' is the wrong word here. 'Ignorant' might work. 'Poorly considered' might be better. But my point is that people didn't really understand the possible environmental impact when they started using fossil fuels. They didn't see how what they did could effect the entire planet. We know better now, and we're starting to do something about it. It may be later than it should have been, and maybe we're a bit slow intellectually, but we can learn and we can alter our behavior. Yeah, we messed up, but we're still a young species. We're going to make a few mistakes. But we've proven we can learn, adapt, and go on. We've done it before. We'll do it again. Doomed, we may be, but I think we've got a few good years left. ( )