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BookmarkHumans, the Harvard University entomologist Edward O.
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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 The Diversity of Life, 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.
--Gregory McNamee .
For more information about the title The Diversity of Life (Penguin Press Science), read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:
The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth — The book that launched a movement: "Wilson speaks with a humane eloquence which calls to us all" (Oliver Sacks), proposing a historic partnership ... > read more
Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives — What is the biological reason for gossip?For laughter? For the creation of art?Why do dogs have curly tails?What can microbes tell us about ... > read more
From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals) — A gorgeous gift and a landmark work that is an essential addition to everyone's personal library.Never before have the four great works of Charles ... > read more
A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays & Reflections) — Published in 1949, shortly after the author's death, A Sand County Almanac is a classic of nature writing, widely cited as one of the most ... > read more
