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The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind
Richard Leakey, One Of The World's Foremost Experts On Man's Evolutionary Past, Now Turns His Eye To The Future And Doesn't Like What He Sees .
To the philosophical the earth is eternal, while the human race -- presumptive keeper of the world's history -- is a mere speck in the rich stream of life. It is known that nothing upon Earth is forever; geography, climate, and plant and animal life are all subject to radical change. On five occasions in the past, catastrophic natural events have caused mass extinctions on Earth. But today humans stand alone, in dubious distinction, among Earth's Homo Sapiens possesses the ability to destroy entire species at will, to trigger the sixth extinction in the history of life. In The Sixth Extinction , Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin consider how the grand sprawl of human life is inexorably wreaking havoc around the world. The authors of Origins and Origins Reconsidered , unimpeachable authorities on the human fossil record, turn their attention to the most uncharted anthropological territory of the future, and man's role in defining it. According to Leakey and Lewin, man and his surrounding species are end products of history and chance. Now, however, humans have the unique opportunity to recognize their influence on the global ecosystem, and consciously steer the outcome in order to avoid triggering an unimaginable upheaval.
To the philosophical the earth is eternal, while the human race -- presumptive keeper of the world's history -- is a mere speck in the rich stream of life. It is known that nothing upon Earth is forever; geography, climate, and plant and animal life are all subject to radical change. On five occasions in the past, catastrophic natural events have caused mass extinctions on Earth. But today humans stand alone, in dubious distinction, among Earth's Homo Sapiens possesses the ability to destroy entire species at will, to trigger the sixth extinction in the history of life. In The Sixth Extinction , Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin consider how the grand sprawl of human life is inexorably wreaking havoc around the world. The authors of Origins and Origins Reconsidered , unimpeachable authorities on the human fossil record, turn their attention to the most uncharted anthropological territory of the future, and man's role in defining it. According to Leakey and Lewin, man and his surrounding species are end products of history and chance. Now, however, humans have the unique opportunity to recognize their influence on the global ecosystem, and consciously steer the outcome in order to avoid triggering an unimaginable upheaval.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
147 people are currently reading
1070 people want to read
About the author
Richard E. Leakey
38 books73 followersRichard Erskine Frere Leakey was a paleoanthropologist and conservationist. He was the second born of three sons of the archaeologists Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey, and was the younger brother of Colin Leakey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
April 9, 2015
This is a great companion to the recent "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" by Eiizabeth Kolbert. I read this book based on a recent NY Times interview with TC Boyle, who recommended it, and it was time well-spent. While Kolbert's book is a really engaging trip into the history of extinction as such (as concept, science-story, discovery, debate, and present crisis), Leaky and Lewin's volume is the product of some deep work by two scientists with a lifetime invested in questions about where humans and other species came from, what distinguishes homo sapiens as a species (mostly, as it turns out, luck so far) and where it is headed (basically oblivion). This book takes a slow, measured look at the case of the present mass extinction and its root causes (homo sapiens). Really pretty devastating stuff. Basically, if you take the long term view, human exceptionalism (this world was made for us, we are God's creatures, etc.) has resulted in some pretty bad things. While post-industrial-revolution humans have done the most damage the most quickly (whatever, 100 or so species a day), the analysis in this book suggests that we have been at it for much longer. Pretty much take a diverse ecosystem, add humans, watch most of it die. Take the gentle Maori of New Zealand, who wiped out all the flightless birds. Consider the passenger pigeon, and the billions that streamed through the sky, 150 years ago, before we killed them all. Consider the early American settlers, who cherished the Heath Hen on their tables, before killing it off altogether. And now, we extinguish species at a rate thousands times higher than background "natural" extinction rates would be. This book is excellent in the way that it builds slowly towards a convincing and awful conclusion. The current, sixth extinction, the Anthropocene, is a result of human activity, and it is moving very quickly. While modern humans came about at a time of great biodiversity, we are single-handedly killing off species at an unprecedented rate, accidentally and on purpose. This book is not simply alarmist, but suffused with fascination with both humanity and all of the rest of the world it is killing off. A slowly building (in human terms) but incredibly rapid (in planet terms) crisis is described. It is not looking good, really. Not at all.
March 17, 2010
What an eye-opener! This is not just a boring book on evolutionary ecology; it is a wake-up call to ecologists, conservationists, anti-alarmist critics, intellectuals, and last but not least, everyday people who remain unconcerned about the ecotastrophe that is happening right now and will continue well into the future.
Leakey frames the debate for what he refers to as the intellectual revolution of our time: the acceptance that our ideas about evolution and our place in the world are steeped in human bias in ways never before so apparent. The resulting need for us to embrace a view of life on Earth that scraps outmoded notions of human superiority in favor of the diversity we are a part of is dire. He puts our species in historical perspective, that is, on an evolutionary and not human time scale. Compared to the five major extinctions we know about from the fossil record, the havoc wreaked on today's biosphere is tantamount to a sixth major extinction. This time, it's not an asteroid, but rather a direct result of our species' actions and ignorance. Is it possible to reverse the current biological holocaust we *are* causing, or will we continue our short-sightedness and destroy the very diverse world we and every other unique species depend upon? More people reading books like this is a step in the right direction.
"Our self-awareness impresses itself on us so cogently, as individuals and as a species, that we cannot imagine ourselves out of existence, even though for hundreds of millions of years humans played no part in the flow of life on the planet. When Teilhard de Chardin wrote, "The phenomenon of Man was essentially foreordained from the beginning," he was speaking from the depth of individual experience, which we all share, as much as from religious philosophy. Our inability to imagine a world without Homo sapiens has a profound impact on our view of ourselves; it becomes seductively easy to imagine that our evolution was inevitable. And inevitability gives meaning to life, because there is a deep security in believing that the way things are is the way they were meant to be."
"Eighty-five percent of recorded species live in the terrestrial realm, and the majority of these, some 850,000, are arthropods (that is, insects, spiders, and crustaceans). Most of the arthropod species are insects, and almost half of these are beetles, a fact that is said to have inspired a famous epigram from the British biologist J.B.S. Haldane. On being asked, one day, by some clerical gentlemen what his study of the natural world had revealed to him about God, Haldane is said to have replied that it indicated that He had "an inordinate fondness of beetles."
Leakey frames the debate for what he refers to as the intellectual revolution of our time: the acceptance that our ideas about evolution and our place in the world are steeped in human bias in ways never before so apparent. The resulting need for us to embrace a view of life on Earth that scraps outmoded notions of human superiority in favor of the diversity we are a part of is dire. He puts our species in historical perspective, that is, on an evolutionary and not human time scale. Compared to the five major extinctions we know about from the fossil record, the havoc wreaked on today's biosphere is tantamount to a sixth major extinction. This time, it's not an asteroid, but rather a direct result of our species' actions and ignorance. Is it possible to reverse the current biological holocaust we *are* causing, or will we continue our short-sightedness and destroy the very diverse world we and every other unique species depend upon? More people reading books like this is a step in the right direction.
"Our self-awareness impresses itself on us so cogently, as individuals and as a species, that we cannot imagine ourselves out of existence, even though for hundreds of millions of years humans played no part in the flow of life on the planet. When Teilhard de Chardin wrote, "The phenomenon of Man was essentially foreordained from the beginning," he was speaking from the depth of individual experience, which we all share, as much as from religious philosophy. Our inability to imagine a world without Homo sapiens has a profound impact on our view of ourselves; it becomes seductively easy to imagine that our evolution was inevitable. And inevitability gives meaning to life, because there is a deep security in believing that the way things are is the way they were meant to be."
"Eighty-five percent of recorded species live in the terrestrial realm, and the majority of these, some 850,000, are arthropods (that is, insects, spiders, and crustaceans). Most of the arthropod species are insects, and almost half of these are beetles, a fact that is said to have inspired a famous epigram from the British biologist J.B.S. Haldane. On being asked, one day, by some clerical gentlemen what his study of the natural world had revealed to him about God, Haldane is said to have replied that it indicated that He had "an inordinate fondness of beetles."
August 25, 2022
One of his main conclusions is that the human species will also go extinct. That is pretty much a given. And we seem to be in a mad rush to hurry the pace.
July 4, 2013
Surprisingly entertaining book that discusses the evolution of the world itself, breaking it down by areas and locations, proving that species have a natural tendency to come and go and suggesting that it isn't only the humans who are responsible. That doesn't mean we can simply do what we want though, there is plenty of evidence inside these pages that proves that although nature also destroys habitats and makes drastic changes in order to continue life in all its various forms, so do we. And we are much more unbalanced about doing it.
Far from being a lecture on how to change our lives in order to save everything, this book sees the balance needed in keeping knowledge expanding and understanding what must be done to preserve both a species and the natural way of maintaining life around us. After reading this book I found myself highly reminded about the things we as humans do to the world around us, but I saw it in a slightly different light. Very interesting read that has brought on several discussions among friends.
Far from being a lecture on how to change our lives in order to save everything, this book sees the balance needed in keeping knowledge expanding and understanding what must be done to preserve both a species and the natural way of maintaining life around us. After reading this book I found myself highly reminded about the things we as humans do to the world around us, but I saw it in a slightly different light. Very interesting read that has brought on several discussions among friends.
February 8, 2008
Here's what this book taught me, you can't best nature. Don't even bother trying.
October 31, 2021
Me parece imprescindible por su labor, finalidad y entusiasmo ecologista . Aunque como libro, algo reiterativo, le doy una buena puntuación porque siento que todos debiéramos apreciar y respetar más la diversidad de los ecosistemas y su importancia. Una gran persona, el Sr. Leakey, modesto narrador. Que muchos sigamos su ejemplo y valentía.
October 26, 2013
This book is comprehensive overview regarding earths past mass extinction events. The "sixth extinction" according to Leaky and Lewin is an observable, consequential end game scenario for biodiversity. One of which is that, homo sapiens have become the only species to create an eminent, destructive environment by means of ecological habits and behaviors- however limited and or vast our ecological sense may be. This book is wake up call - message - that hopes to bring awareness of how delicate ecology and evolutionary biology is in time periods that stretch beyond the conscious awareness of Homo sapiens. As the most sentient species on this planet we have an obligation to wildlife management and conservation regarding the worlds biodiversity. I recommend this to anyone studying ecology, biology, anthropology, and or any other earth based science. Very well written, but at times can be confusing for people who aren't scientifically literate like myself. Never the less, it is a good read and very informative despite its publication date.
January 6, 2018
One of the most profound, insightful and informative books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It gave me great pause to consider my own worldview, the past actions of our species and how we might prevent the continuing destruction of our planet's extraordinary biodiversity. Never in the 4.6 billion year history of the Earth have the number of species extinctions been so high as those at the hands of mankind in modern times.
November 2, 2016
Written in 1995, this book was unbelievably ahead of its time. Leaky explains how life started and evolved on earth, how natural events wiped the slate almost clean 5 times in the past, the most recent being 65 million years ago when the dinosaurs were wiped out, and how we're in the midst of a sixth extinction event caused by human activity.
October 17, 2008
Very interesting book with a sad, but intriguing concept. The author set out to visit not only animal and platn species on the verge of extinction, but also cultures, languages and other aspects of human culture that are quickly disappearing in our march toward globalization and sameness.
November 23, 2009
This book shoul dbe read by more people. Leakey got into the Human as a part of nature debate in the contect of environemtalism early. Well written, compassionate, and laced with common sense.
December 16, 2015
:O well that was one of the best books I've ever read... It has opened my eyes to just how lucky we are to be alive, and how woefully ignorant we are to all creatures big and small. :D
September 23, 2019
increíble y nutritivo
August 5, 2017
Un saggio scritto con maestria dal grande paleoantropologo Richard Leakey e dal divulgatore scientifico Roger Lewin che tratta in modo estremamente approfondito il tema dell'estinzione. L'estinzione è un processo del tutto naturale che rientra nella vita evolutiva di ciascuna specie. Da quando è comparsa la vita sulla terra numerosissime specie si sono evolute e prima o poi sono andate incontro ad estinzione. Si stima che circa il 99.9% delle specie che siano mai esistite sul nostro pianeta si siano estinte. Talvolta questi processi di estinzione sono stati indotti da eventi catastrofici (5 eventi di estinzione di massa) causati da asteroidi o da altri processi geologici su scala planetaria. La comparsa dell'uomo ha però molto condizionato il destino delle altre specie. Fin dagli albori della nostra storia evolutiva l'espansione della specie Homo sapiens ha sancito l'estinzione della stragrande maggioranza della megafauna presente in quasi tutti i continenti, in seguito alla caccia e/o alla trasformazione dell'uso del suolo. Ma il processo di estinzione indotto dall'uomo ha avuto una grande accelerazione negli ultimi decenni. Attualmente si stima che l'estinzione degli organismi viventi sia da 100 a 1000 volte superiore rispetto alle condizioni naturali. Per questa ragione molti scienziati hanno chiamato questo fenomeno la "sesta estinzione di massa", insolita per la sua velocità ma soprattutto per la sua natura. E' la prima volta nella storia della vita sulla terra che il processo di estinzione di massa è causato da una singola specie dominante che ha la forza di diventare una potenza globale così violenta da mettere a repentaglio la sua stessa sopravvivenza. Saggio da leggere assolutamente per mettere a fuoco un processo fondamentale che ha condizionato e continuerà a condizionare le dinamiche evolutive del nostro pianeta.
July 13, 2020
Outstanding explanation of life on our planet and how it has survived, varied and gone extinct in millions of species. Dr. Leakey has played a prominent role in keeping some ecosystems alive and prosperous. He has been active in protecting animals that might have (or might still become) extinct. His book is a very passionate plea for protecting all life forms on the Earth, while noting that of the hundreds of millions of species that either existed or do now exist, none are assured a place on the planet, not even the Homo Sapiens.
Over the 3.5 billion years that life has evolved on Earth, that evolution has changed with climate, ecologic interaction between plants and animals, as well as success and failure of evolutionary changes plus a great deal of luck (good and bad). Fascinating reading regardless of how you view the rise and fall of life forms and whether you look to science, or religion in your expectations of what will become of life on Earth.
Over the 3.5 billion years that life has evolved on Earth, that evolution has changed with climate, ecologic interaction between plants and animals, as well as success and failure of evolutionary changes plus a great deal of luck (good and bad). Fascinating reading regardless of how you view the rise and fall of life forms and whether you look to science, or religion in your expectations of what will become of life on Earth.
February 18, 2019
I don't read a lot of nonfiction books but I really have been trying to get into some more.
This book was enjoyable in the sense that I wasn't overwhelmed by all the science that Leaky and his coauthor explained. They tended to focus more on overall impacts, and everything was explained in a way that someone even with minimal knowledge about the subject could understand.
I think what I liked most about this book was the positive attitude about the future of the Earth. Most books on this topic that I have attempted to read have been very " We're all going to die and we can't do anything about it and Humans suck and Humans aren't cool" while this book was more " Hey, we have created some problems and its important to acknowledge it and we can fix it !"
This book was enjoyable in the sense that I wasn't overwhelmed by all the science that Leaky and his coauthor explained. They tended to focus more on overall impacts, and everything was explained in a way that someone even with minimal knowledge about the subject could understand.
I think what I liked most about this book was the positive attitude about the future of the Earth. Most books on this topic that I have attempted to read have been very " We're all going to die and we can't do anything about it and Humans suck and Humans aren't cool" while this book was more " Hey, we have created some problems and its important to acknowledge it and we can fix it !"
July 29, 2020
What I loved best about this book is his integrity. He is obviously and honestly on the side of conservation. That being said he lays out the theories ( he calls them theories not facts ) and explains the evidence for them. He also points out the problem of incomplete fossil records and difficulty in interpreting the age of fossils.
A few of the concepts were new to me. I quite enjoyed the fresh look at conservation.
The only issue I have is that toward the last chapters he begins to directly quote and contradict one person specifically. I dislike the use of quotes from other people as they are too easy to take out of context. He also started to extrapolate that persons meaning but at least he says “what I think he means is” so you know it’s his opinion on the other persons beliefs.
A few of the concepts were new to me. I quite enjoyed the fresh look at conservation.
The only issue I have is that toward the last chapters he begins to directly quote and contradict one person specifically. I dislike the use of quotes from other people as they are too easy to take out of context. He also started to extrapolate that persons meaning but at least he says “what I think he means is” so you know it’s his opinion on the other persons beliefs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2021
I'm sure had I read this book in 1995 when it was published that I would have given it five stars. But, more than 25 years have passed and more knowledge on extinction and man's part in the current trend toward that is known. That being said, this was a wonderful, informative, philosophical book that Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin should be most proud of. Like the politician, Al Gore, these scientists were in the forefront of thinking in the science of extinctions past and in the future. An admirable work for the times.
May 26, 2021
Smart, Slsharp, interesing and, a bit unexpectedly, friendly and approachable, It'll offer you an original and deep point of view - coming from the life-lasting studies and experience of a seasoned, pragmatic paleontologist - on the most important and urgent challenges of our time.
It also helped me to consider longer periods of time when dealing with environmental, ethical and existential matters concerning our future as a species and as a (small) part of the whole planet. Highly recommended.
I'll definitely read more books by R. Leakey and R. Lewin.
It also helped me to consider longer periods of time when dealing with environmental, ethical and existential matters concerning our future as a species and as a (small) part of the whole planet. Highly recommended.
I'll definitely read more books by R. Leakey and R. Lewin.
February 16, 2018
I read this book as my choice from the library’s “Blind Date With a Book” display. I would never have chosen this book and honestly felt betrayed that a nonfiction book written by a paleoarcheologist was wrapped in pink paper. But the book was more interesting than I thought it would be and gave me food for thought about the role humans play in global ecology. I would be interested to find out if trends have changed in the past 20 years, but I suspect they haven’t.
January 5, 2019
Written in layman’s terms, easy to understand explanations of both evolution and extinctions, with emphasis on the likely ongoing extinction caused by homosapiens sapiens by destruction of habitat and climate change. Well worth reading.
January 6, 2019
Re read this today. More relevant, more important, and more urgent than when I first read it or it was first written.
August 18, 2019
Good history of evolutionary biology
January 18, 2020
Book that educates the reader and also makes him think. Recommended for those who are interested in paleontology, evolution and the future. New vision on Darwinism and catastrophism.
July 4, 2020
Educational and haunting at times. Really informs you about the cycles of life present natuarally on Earth and what a powerful force humans are in it.
March 19, 2021
Over 25 years old now, but still so relevant. Loved it.
June 13, 2023
just becauseeeeee
November 2, 2023
Essential reading.
Get your head out of your arses and pay attention.
Get your head out of your arses and pay attention.
April 3, 2014
Had to read this one in chunks over time. Not because its boring, but because it's a lot of heavy sledgehammer blows of reality and rude awakenings. Definitely not for the faint of heart...but unflinchingly realistic about supposed human 'specialness' and what's in store for us....exactly what has been in store for over 90% of species that have ever lived on the planet...and are gone.
This fact filled picture of our place in the overall panorama of history, life and evolution on this planet makes the old Darwinian view sound like sunshine and rainbows.
It was interesting that just as I was finishing this book, NASA announced that they conclude that indeed....we're all screwed and in the next few decades, we humans are on our way out the door. Seems Leakey and Lewin's forecast is more realistic than they even knew at the time. Or confirms that they were on the rigfht track and NASA is just catching up.
What do I do with this information? Do I conclude that life is pointless, and run naked thru the streets with a battle axe going out in a fit of rage? Do I listen to Metallica "Fade to Black" and sorrowfully fade away in the night?
Or do I take this information as one more reason to cherish life, since its so precious and fleeting, and send a big FU to the Universe for plopping me into the dismal scenario via making music, caring about others, cherishing life in all its amazing forms around me, and working to help possibly avert the coming ker-shplat?
I choose the latter.
This fact filled picture of our place in the overall panorama of history, life and evolution on this planet makes the old Darwinian view sound like sunshine and rainbows.
It was interesting that just as I was finishing this book, NASA announced that they conclude that indeed....we're all screwed and in the next few decades, we humans are on our way out the door. Seems Leakey and Lewin's forecast is more realistic than they even knew at the time. Or confirms that they were on the rigfht track and NASA is just catching up.
What do I do with this information? Do I conclude that life is pointless, and run naked thru the streets with a battle axe going out in a fit of rage? Do I listen to Metallica "Fade to Black" and sorrowfully fade away in the night?
Or do I take this information as one more reason to cherish life, since its so precious and fleeting, and send a big FU to the Universe for plopping me into the dismal scenario via making music, caring about others, cherishing life in all its amazing forms around me, and working to help possibly avert the coming ker-shplat?
I choose the latter.
February 11, 2017
Un livre de paléontologie et de biologie de l'évolution, pas toujours facile de lecture car très analytique : les idées sont étayées avec soin par de nombreux exemples et travaux scientifiques. L'ensemble reste très intéressant, en particulier la fin de l'ouvrage sur les extinctions causées par les hommes et l'avenir sombre que cela laisse présager.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews