The Future of Life
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- Create Date：2022-08-06 06:55:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Edward O. Wilson
- ISBN：0679768114
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Summary
One of the world’s most important scientists， Edward O。 Wilson is also an abundantly talented writer who has twice won the Pulitzer Prize。 In this， his most personal and timely book to date， he assesses the precarious state of our environment， examining the mass extinctions occurring in our time and the natural treasures we are about to lose forever。 Yet， rather than eschewing doomsday prophesies， he spells out a specific plan to save our world while there is still time。 His vision is a hopeful one， as economically sound as it is environmentally necessary。 Eloquent， practical and wise， this book should be read and studied by anyone concerned with the fate of the natural world。
Reviews
harshi
，
good when he sticks to science， bad when he starts having opinions。 i dont care that you think china is evil for having too many people， i dont care that you think overpopulation is the root of all ecological demise （this is a really racist take， where is the community gif thats like “i can excuse racism but i draw the line at animal cruelty”）， i dont really understand why you felt the need to invoke the racist image of “noble savage” in your book about extinction。if you want to read an actually good when he sticks to science， bad when he starts having opinions。 i dont care that you think china is evil for having too many people， i dont care that you think overpopulation is the root of all ecological demise （this is a really racist take， where is the community gif thats like “i can excuse racism but i draw the line at animal cruelty”）， i dont really understand why you felt the need to invoke the racist image of “noble savage” in your book about extinction。if you want to read an actually good conservation/population biology book that doesnt make you want to invent slurs for old white men （does boomer count。。？） try the silent spring， the sixth extinction， or your inner fish 。。。more
Robin Martinez
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Not my favorite book， and not as interesting as I thought it would be。
Harry
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E。O。 Wilson， one of the pre-eminent biologists of our time， examines the present extinction event that is occurring around the world。 He describes the world's biodiversity， from bacteria to mega-fauna and the challenges many species face。 Human population and habitat destruction is progressing at an alarming rate， yet Wilson focuses on solutions to these trends。 He reports on the many successful campaigns by NGOs to protect critical habitat around the world。Despite the destruction humans are wre E。O。 Wilson， one of the pre-eminent biologists of our time， examines the present extinction event that is occurring around the world。 He describes the world's biodiversity， from bacteria to mega-fauna and the challenges many species face。 Human population and habitat destruction is progressing at an alarming rate， yet Wilson focuses on solutions to these trends。 He reports on the many successful campaigns by NGOs to protect critical habitat around the world。Despite the destruction humans are wreaking， Wilson remains optimistic that we can turn things around before it's too late。 I'm afraid my optimism isn't as great as Wilson's。 But the book was written in 2002- I wonder if Wilson's optimism would be as great now as it was then。 。。。more
William Smith
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Our wilful， often passive， consent to oversee the destruction of our natural environment will undoubtedly intertwin with diminishing the upper limit of humanity's capacity。 The remarkable biologist Wilson continued the effort for reviving common sense intuitions on why environmental restoration and preservation are essential aspects of science and policy， worthy of both individual and institutional activities。 Nestled in prose reminiscent of a flowering meadow， The Future of Life is recommende Our wilful， often passive， consent to oversee the destruction of our natural environment will undoubtedly intertwin with diminishing the upper limit of humanity's capacity。 The remarkable biologist Wilson continued the effort for reviving common sense intuitions on why environmental restoration and preservation are essential aspects of science and policy， worthy of both individual and institutional activities。 Nestled in prose reminiscent of a flowering meadow， The Future of Life is recommended reading for all those new to considerations about modern ecology， especially solutions we can， and should， implement in our lifetime。 。。。more
Jason
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Quite a good presentation of ecological thinking and how human decisions and actions ripple through。 The viewpoint is surprisingly balanced between a recognition of what human’s want and take from the planet and what the planet and its layer of fauna and flora need to carry on。 Not surprisingly， these two sides are counterposed at some level， but the real harm to efforts at addressing the problem reside in thinking of these sides as incompatible。 Wilson convincingly explains how those viewpoints Quite a good presentation of ecological thinking and how human decisions and actions ripple through。 The viewpoint is surprisingly balanced between a recognition of what human’s want and take from the planet and what the planet and its layer of fauna and flora need to carry on。 Not surprisingly， these two sides are counterposed at some level， but the real harm to efforts at addressing the problem reside in thinking of these sides as incompatible。 Wilson convincingly explains how those viewpoints share common interests that help to reframe the discussion。 。。。more
David Winston
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takes a while to grasp the whole picture but Wilson has the best perspective yet。
Scott Martin
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A classic。 Essential reading for anyone worried about the environmental destruction caused by human development and the sustainability of life on earth。
Alan Eyre
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Finished。 Excellently written argument on the need for preserving our rapidly decreasing biodiversity。 Like so many books of this ilk， the diagnosis is much stronger than the solution。
Rebecca
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Read it for college zoology class。 Of course I hated it。
Ashley Kennedy
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Decided it's time to re-read my E。O。 books in his memory （RIP）。 This one opens with descriptions of extremophiles （organisms that have adapted to living in seemingly uninhabitable places） and goes on to describe some of the most imperiled species and habitats around the world， and the reasons why （habitat destruction， invasive species， climate change） and-- lest ye think it's all gloom and doom-- possible solutions。 Without being toooo preachy， he promotes zero population growth and a plant-base Decided it's time to re-read my E。O。 books in his memory （RIP）。 This one opens with descriptions of extremophiles （organisms that have adapted to living in seemingly uninhabitable places） and goes on to describe some of the most imperiled species and habitats around the world， and the reasons why （habitat destruction， invasive species， climate change） and-- lest ye think it's all gloom and doom-- possible solutions。 Without being toooo preachy， he promotes zero population growth and a plant-based diet。 I first read this when I was a teenager and I guess it made a big impact; it was around the same time that I became vegetarian and vowed never to get pregnant。 One detail confused me。 He mentioned that the most popular exhibit at the National Zoo was the invertebrate house; I don't think that was ever true （I used to work at the zoo， and the invertebrate house closed permanently in 2014）。 Wishful thinking， I guess？ 。。。more
megan evansss
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My physics teacher made me read this for class。 The author is so insanely intelligent that I hardly could retain any of his random earth facts。 I literally cried because I was very bored while reading lol。 Then again， I’m a 16 year old who was assigned this as homework。 I felt so smart when I did actually read and try to comprehend it though。 I feel like if you like science informational books， have at it and read this because it’s pretty informational。 But If you want to read it because you are My physics teacher made me read this for class。 The author is so insanely intelligent that I hardly could retain any of his random earth facts。 I literally cried because I was very bored while reading lol。 Then again， I’m a 16 year old who was assigned this as homework。 I felt so smart when I did actually read and try to comprehend it though。 I feel like if you like science informational books， have at it and read this because it’s pretty informational。 But If you want to read it because you are bored， spare yourself。 。。。more
Melvin Marsh， M。S。
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This is mostly a book about the problems of decreased biodiversity， so it's a very sad read。 This is mostly a book about the problems of decreased biodiversity， so it's a very sad read。 。。。more
Zhu Xudong
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not my typeIt’s a great book I guess。 But I don’t like reading it， especially the first two chapters and the last。
Aurélien Thomas
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More than an expert entomologist and socio-biologist， Edward Osborne Wilson is also a passionate environmentalist expert of everything about conservation biology。 Displaying an incredible erudition， he delivers here a remarkable little book which is a must read for anyone interested in ecology。In 'The Future of Life'， he does more than showing us the wonders of our fragile planet， or， enthuse the reader with examples of coevolution and interconnections between various species。 He also defends th More than an expert entomologist and socio-biologist， Edward Osborne Wilson is also a passionate environmentalist expert of everything about conservation biology。 Displaying an incredible erudition， he delivers here a remarkable little book which is a must read for anyone interested in ecology。In 'The Future of Life'， he does more than showing us the wonders of our fragile planet， or， enthuse the reader with examples of coevolution and interconnections between various species。 He also defends the preservation of our environment by adopting an attitude far from the caricature such debates are often reduced to。 Indeed， scientific and technological progress， economical interest， and safeguarding of our biodiversity are not antinomic， and， if he knows how to remain cautious in avoiding the traps of scientism， he doesn't condemn neither our biotechnological advances nor our capitalistic system。 Such an outlook， such a passion， such an engagement make this short little book a fascinating read。 Too bad it's so short！ 。。。more
Andy
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This is a good book， but twenty years after its publication I find Wilson's guarded optimism a little tragic。 Two decades later， his actionable steps have gone largely unheeded; in the face of apocalypse， people and corporations alike have dug in their heels rather than step up to the challenge。 But this is an informed， actionable， and unfortunately an all-too-relevant take on the state of nature and civilization in 2021。 And while Wilson understandably casts all his next steps within the framew This is a good book， but twenty years after its publication I find Wilson's guarded optimism a little tragic。 Two decades later， his actionable steps have gone largely unheeded; in the face of apocalypse， people and corporations alike have dug in their heels rather than step up to the challenge。 But this is an informed， actionable， and unfortunately an all-too-relevant take on the state of nature and civilization in 2021。 And while Wilson understandably casts all his next steps within the framework of the status quo， I appreciate that he does not treat wildlife preservation as a vanity project。 After presenting the evidence that humanity is a harbinger for extinction， he takes the next step and proposes relinquishing 50 percent of the earth from human development。Having approached this book already intensely anxious about the state of the environment， Wilson's first three chapters （or at least the second and third） were a somewhat unwelcome meditation on the severity of our situation。 Maybe this is useful to another reader， but I think if I ever revisit this book it would be to review the more solutions-oriented final chapters。 。。。more
L。G。 Cullens
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After a fictive discussion with Thoreau to establish a mental framework for the material covered， the author begins by encapsulating the extent of biodiversity on Earth。 Then he moves on to compare the economist versus the environmentalist perspectives of the value of biodiversity。 All very logically with salient points， and an aspect expanded on in later material。Within the material the author takes a balanced and hopeful approach， including with the evangelical culture。 Quoted is the voice of After a fictive discussion with Thoreau to establish a mental framework for the material covered， the author begins by encapsulating the extent of biodiversity on Earth。 Then he moves on to compare the economist versus the environmentalist perspectives of the value of biodiversity。 All very logically with salient points， and an aspect expanded on in later material。Within the material the author takes a balanced and hopeful approach， including with the evangelical culture。 Quoted is the voice of Janisse Ray， a young poet from southern Georgia， who in her 1999 memoir Ecology of a Cracker Childhood decries the destruction of the region’s longleaf pine forests。“If you clear a forest， you’d better pray continuously。 While you’re pushing a road through and rigging the cables and moving between trees on the dozer， you’d better be talking to God。 While you’re cruising timber and marking trees with a blue slash， be praying; and pray while you’re peddling the chips and logs and writing Friday’s checks and paying the diesel bill—even if it’s under your breath， a rustling at the lips。 If you’re manning the saw head or the scissors， snipping the trees off at the ground， going from one to another， approaching them brusquely and laying them down， I’d say， pray extra hard; and pray hard when you’re hauling them away。"God doesn’t like a clearcut。 It makes his heart turn cold， makes him wince and wonder what went wrong with his creation， and sets him to thinking about what spoils the child。”The striking totality of this book I leave the reader to discover， encouraging the reader to carefully think through what is presented。 Not to do so is to forfeit our and our children's future， at the least to a hellish existence。This isn't a book to be read for entertainment， but rather one that attempts to break through blinkered human bubble thinking， hopefully encouraging more reality based knowledge and wisdom in our species。If you're interested in a book that thoroughly lays out the critical facts of the pickle we've created， shows where this is leading， and notes possible mitigations with contrasted costs， this book is about as fully informative as any I've read。 The non-scientific reader can learn much more than they imagine， and the scientific reader can better see the confluence of all the varying aspects。"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them。" ~ Albert EinsteinOur little blue canoe has a razor-thin biosphere that humanity evolved in， which is being altered at an accelerating pace by our weedy species to a state that will not support our existence。“Live as if your Life has consequences far beyond your understanding。 It does。” ~ Duncan Morrison 。。。more
Carl Pierson
，
Full of interesting insights。
Joey
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This book changed my life。 I loved it so much， reading it during my first year at U of C
R Strange
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Just in case you need the detailed reminder that we are running out of time to put science and education first， if we want anything like a sustainable future for the planet。 Currently， most global politics is intent on ignoring reality。 This is a good primer of what that reality means。The strongest takeaway - a species that has existed for 40 million years， what right do we have to allow its complete erasure from the earth within the next 50 years？ So many species are on this brink， and our lead Just in case you need the detailed reminder that we are running out of time to put science and education first， if we want anything like a sustainable future for the planet。 Currently， most global politics is intent on ignoring reality。 This is a good primer of what that reality means。The strongest takeaway - a species that has existed for 40 million years， what right do we have to allow its complete erasure from the earth within the next 50 years？ So many species are on this brink， and our leadership's collective weakness， irresponsibility， and greed is illustrated by the indifference to our living kindred。 All one tree， all related。 Another wise and bleak book to remind us， it is always time to start living with compassion for the other forms of life we share the world with。 We must find a way to mature， as a species。 And we must get better at it， and we must be quicker about it。 。。。more
Danny
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The partnership of Nature and Humanity can be forever long and help both sides equally。 This book gave me a sense of hope。 There is a way it can work。
Deryn David
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Written with utmost concern sprouting out of the imminent need to alter the negative courses of our actions， Edward O。 Wilson clearly states how we are part of a very influential era which could shape the future of life including humanity itself for the better or for adversely worse。 Book is highly informative without a doubt， and oozes passion and targets towards a specific motive。 However， the writing is mostly approached through its scientific aspects which fails to create a mutual immediacy Written with utmost concern sprouting out of the imminent need to alter the negative courses of our actions， Edward O。 Wilson clearly states how we are part of a very influential era which could shape the future of life including humanity itself for the better or for adversely worse。 Book is highly informative without a doubt， and oozes passion and targets towards a specific motive。 However， the writing is mostly approached through its scientific aspects which fails to create a mutual immediacy for the reader as it is for the author。 。。。more
Anja
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If only humans listened more to Wilson; this is not his very best in my view: he focuses more on population growth as a problem and not enough on per capita consumption of the key consuming societies。 Still always Wilson wisdom。
Jacquelyn
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Outdated info 20 years later but the keys are relevant and important enough for this to be a necessary read to understand why conservation is crucial， where we are with it and where we can go。
Tyler
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This book was written 20 years ago and nothing has changed in fact it's just gotten worse。 People still don't even believe in climate change。。。heres to hoping an asteroid takes out humanity This book was written 20 years ago and nothing has changed in fact it's just gotten worse。 People still don't even believe in climate change。。。heres to hoping an asteroid takes out humanity 。。。more
Max Egyed
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A damning argument with all the pieces to show how humans have become the apex predator， polluter， and parasite on Earth。 Covering survival in the most basic life form to the role of biodiversity in complex ecosystems， humans have the knowledge and ability to reverse the trend of destroying Earth because of EO Wilson。
Rachael
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I feel like anyone who has given thought to how we ended up where we are in terms of biodiversity， and anyone who believes caring for the environment is going to be an integral part of life would like reading this book。 Love this book， the beginning has a bit too much rambling， but the core and solutions given at the end give insight as to where to begin。
Kevin Revolinski
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A hard look at what we face on this planet if we don't get our population and environmental consumption/devastation under control。 He's more optimistic than I'll ever be。 Written in 2001-ish， it shows things haven't really changed。 The larger picture reminds me that whatever happens to humans won't matter a whit to the planet or Life carrying on long after we are gone。 Fans should read this， but the general non-reading need-to-be-convinced population unfortunately won't get through it。 A hard look at what we face on this planet if we don't get our population and environmental consumption/devastation under control。 He's more optimistic than I'll ever be。 Written in 2001-ish， it shows things haven't really changed。 The larger picture reminds me that whatever happens to humans won't matter a whit to the planet or Life carrying on long after we are gone。 Fans should read this， but the general non-reading need-to-be-convinced population unfortunately won't get through it。 。。。more
CJ
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This book is definitely intriguing in terms of its topic， though I personally believe it was somewhat of a letdown in most focus areas。 This book ventured into the world of declining biodiversity， focusing on ideas such as continuously protecting larger habitats in terms to preserve the limited species of this world， how much worth Earth’s natural environment contains， the idea that the majority of the declining species can be protected with just some change in the world， and the various ways an This book is definitely intriguing in terms of its topic， though I personally believe it was somewhat of a letdown in most focus areas。 This book ventured into the world of declining biodiversity， focusing on ideas such as continuously protecting larger habitats in terms to preserve the limited species of this world， how much worth Earth’s natural environment contains， the idea that the majority of the declining species can be protected with just some change in the world， and the various ways and ideas for how to protect the world’s natural environment。 While it provides amazing ideas and facts， and attempts to make the ideas for protecting nature as noble as possible， I truly believe it falls short in the way of literature。 The first chapter， in particular， has little worth。 It is a letter to another scientist， but it does not provide any new ideas or reasons to read the story。 It simply does not pull in the reader， and doesn’t do well for the enjoyment of the reader。 Then， after that， I’d say the next two （three based on personal opinion）， is quite bland。 It attempts to make the ideas and theses noble， but it provides no evidence for stopping the issue until the later chapters。 In the end， while it is a factual and informative story， that I did enjoy reading for educational benefit， I didn’t understand it on a literary level。 。。。more
Eleanor Jude
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This was a veryyy heavy read but informative。
Robin M
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The book is being advertised as optimistic。 However， it's quite the opposite for the majority of the pages。 Only the last 15% go positive but sadly sound like one big， dry ad for WWF。That said， the truth is， there is not m？all too much positive to say about this topic atm。 And before the ad starts， this book gives an amazing and very interesting insight into what's been going on in the world ever since humans invented the first tools。Despite everything I said above， I think everybody should read The book is being advertised as optimistic。 However， it's quite the opposite for the majority of the pages。 Only the last 15% go positive but sadly sound like one big， dry ad for WWF。That said， the truth is， there is not m？all too much positive to say about this topic atm。 And before the ad starts， this book gives an amazing and very interesting insight into what's been going on in the world ever since humans invented the first tools。Despite everything I said above， I think everybody should read this book。 And if it's only to find more motivation to do something about the horrendous things that we have brought upon our own habitat and ourselves。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Future of Life
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Future of Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Future of Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0