A rough ride to the future
By: James Lovelock
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 183
ISBN-13: 9781468312638
Copyright date: 2014
Subjects: Evolution; Philosophy; Nature; Biosphere; Earth sciences; Effect of human beings on; Gaia hypothesis; Geobiology; Technological innovations
Description: "A Rough Ride to the Future introduces two new Lovelockian ideas. The first is that three hundred years ago, when Thomas Newcomen invented the steam engine, he was unknowingly beginning what Lovelock calls 'accelerated evolution,' a process that is bringing about change on our planet roughly a million times faster than Darwinian evolution. The second is that as a part of this process, humanity has the capacity to become the intelligent part of Gaia, the self-regulating earth system whose discovery Lovelock first announced nearly fifty years ago. We are now changing the atmosphere again, and Lovelock argues that there is little that can be done about this. But instead of feeling guilty, we should recognize what is happening, prepare for change, and ensure that we survive as a species so we can contribute to -- perhaps even guide -- the next evolution of Gaia. The road will be rough, but if we are smart enough, life will continue on earth in some form far into the future." -- Back cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-176) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: What this book is about; title: The lone practice of science; title: How invention accelerated evolution; title: Gaia and its consequences; title: Climate science; title: Can we stop climate change?; title: The evolution of the city; title: Myths of environmentalism, and their consequences; title: Human nature and tribalism; title: So what was it all about?; title: Appendix. Transcription of letters from W.D. Hamilton and J. Maynard Smith.