false 503051 9 Humans, the Harvard University entomologist Edward O. Wilson has observed, have an innate--or at least extremely ancient--connection to the natural world, and our continued divorce from it has led to the loss of not only "a vast intellectual legacy born of intimacy" with nature, but also our very sanity. In <I>The Diversity of Life</I>, Wilson takes a sweeping view of our planet's natural richness, remarking on what on the surface seems a paradox: "almost all the species that ever lived are extinct, and yet more are alive today than at any time in the past." (Wilson's elegant explanation is a scientific education in itself.) This great variety of species is, of course, threatened by habitat destruction, global climate change, and a host of other forces, and Wilson revisits his oft-stated call for the protection of wilderness and undeveloped land, noting that "wilderness has virtue unto itself and needs no extraneous justification." We should, he continues, regard every species, "every scrap of biodiversity," as precious and irreplaceable, without attempting to quantify that regard with utilitarian measures such as "bio-economics." In short, Wilson offers with this book a simple, workable environmental ethic that extends the work of Aldo Leopold and other conservationists. A remarkably productive and influential scientist, Wilson is also a fine writer, and his survey of biodiversity makes for welcome and instructive reading. <I>--Gregory McNamee</I> 491112 1992 The Diversity of Life total:249|5:98|4:92|3:48|2:7|1:4| 249 1020 472 32 5 3 false false Mon Apr 14 18:32:17 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 20 09:07:45 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat Jan 19 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Oct 13 01:21:31 -0700 2007 Tue Jan 29 00:34:25 -0800 2008
So, when I found myself amongst...more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Jul 16 18:19:57 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 16 18:26:04 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Dec 16 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 07 16:10:14 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 20:33:55 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 07 22:03:14 -0800 2008 Sat Apr 05 19:58:14 -0700 2008
There are some really fascinating, sobering stories about evolution, ecology, and biodiversity here, ...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Aug 12 08:55:46 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 12 09:42:39 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Mon Jul 30 08:57:58 -0700 2007 Tue Mar 04 08:25:50 -0800 2008 4 1 false false Mon Feb 18 15:13:47 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 18 15:13:47 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Sat Jan 17 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 15 19:46:30 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 20 20:31:14 -0800 2009
Some major points I learned from this book in...more...]]> 0 1 false false Mon Jan 28 14:44:26 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 14:44:55 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Wed May 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jan 25 08:50:20 -0800 2008 Wed May 06 15:39:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Dec 04 02:29:02 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 12 04:23:26 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 08:46:10 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 08:47:47 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Feb 25 11:57:13 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 11:57:19 -0800 2009 Origins.]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 08 14:14:09 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 14:15:05 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jul 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 20:04:25 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 20:05:10 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Mar 25 08:53:43 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 25 08:54:09 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Oct 10 19:37:20 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 10 19:38:19 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Apr 12 08:25:17 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 08:25:49 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Jan 03 21:20:13 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 21:21:07 -0800 2009