“A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it.”
–Edward P. Morgan
Unconventional from the very beginning James Lovelock has been responsible for the significant Gaia theory that had him ridiculed for decades. But that sort of treatment did not stop Galileo so why should it have prevented him from writing the next most significant perspective on what’s next for this world. This book is not about climate change but climate change is a big part of it. It is also about developmental history. The invention of the steam engine by a blacksmith called Thomas Newcomen in 1712 was the beginning of the industrial revolution and the excess in production and consumption as a result has brought the world to the tipping point we face today. Lovelock writes in a way ever person can understand; shares facts and insights that are astonishing. As he aptly notes – all of us are scientifically illiterate and do not question how the world works around us. In just 169 pages he helps you see what is going on out there and look ahead to a future full of intelligent machines.
ISBN: 978-0-241-96141-4 Penguin Random House
Reviewed by Melissa Baird
