I am a rank amateur, with no scientific background on the topic, but interested in the meaning and prospects of human presence in the deep timeline.
I've read Robert Macfarlane's "Underland", Jeny Odell's "Saving Time", and "The Long View" is on my reading list.
Learning the proportions between the history of humanity and the history of the universe, should lead not to nihilism, but to healing from hubris: we are custodians of the unique, precious gift of life, not almighty rulers of the world.
Any way of thinking which helps us understand our condition and take actions towards a more sustainable future is a good way, and I see a danger of looking for too many dangers: being too cautious and conservative might thwart our good efforts.
One idea, however, arouses my strong disapproval: that the cure for the harm done by technology could be more technology. I think here about geoengineering methods to tackle climate, like large scale stratospheric aerosol injections, or changing the constitution of the clouds. They are nothing more than meddling to our peril. (See "Under a White Sky" by Elisabeth Colbert.) The only way to survive is to consume less stuff, stop destroying the Earth's natural resources so rapaciously; and live less greedily.
I am a rank amateur, with no scientific background on the topic, but interested in the meaning and prospects of human presence in the deep timeline.
I've read Robert Macfarlane's "Underland", Jeny Odell's "Saving Time", and "The Long View" is on my reading list.
Learning the proportions between the history of humanity and the history of the universe, should lead not to nihilism, but to healing from hubris: we are custodians of the unique, precious gift of life, not almighty rulers of the world.
Any way of thinking which helps us understand our condition and take actions towards a more sustainable future is a good way, and I see a danger of looking for too many dangers: being too cautious and conservative might thwart our good efforts.
One idea, however, arouses my strong disapproval: that the cure for the harm done by technology could be more technology. I think here about geoengineering methods to tackle climate, like large scale stratospheric aerosol injections, or changing the constitution of the clouds. They are nothing more than meddling to our peril. (See "Under a White Sky" by Elisabeth Colbert.) The only way to survive is to consume less stuff, stop destroying the Earth's natural resources so rapaciously; and live less greedily.