an educated, articulate rant

[[deleted user]]

I'm a believer, really. And this is the best book I've ever read that tackles some of the bottom-line, scientific realities of the damage humans have wreaked on our planet and its creatures. E.O.Wilson, a beautiful writer, careful thinker, and dedicated naturalist tells it honestly and persuasively. Humans are dooming other species to extinction thousands of times faster than would naturally occur, had we not (thoughtlessly, without regard for the fate of life forms other than our own) adopted a consumerist, exploitative stance towards nature in general. Beyond the strictly commercial and capitalist, there are historical reasons for this, explained and illuminated. There are remedies proposed, intriguing and creative ones.

The "but" that is coming is not to take away from this book, which I believe is important, and I urge you to read it and recommend it to others! But, I don't understand what has happened in our culture(s) -- that, around the world, proposals for actually saving the world seem to come across as a somehow quaint notion. Why do powerful people who could actually influence public policy in areas of conservation not act immediately? What will happen, and when, if E.O. Wilson's and others' words are not heeded? Why are we so immobilized, fascinated by the terror of losing it all, and unable to make changes in the way we live?

I suspect that the slightly "rantish" tone of this book is the normal, human response to the above questions. It just feels like no one is listening. Thank you, E.O.Wilson, for taking the time, and having the courage, to spell this out. I, for one, wish I could live to take your trip around the globe through linked, and marvelously diverse ecosystems.