AUTHOR'S NOTES

CONTENTS

Recommended Further Reading

As for most who seek to organize their ponderings on paper, my work rests on foundations laid by too many good authors to reasonably list. However, there are a few who stand out for their current relevance and I would like to recommend their works as useful further reading to others.

On matters of the environment and humanity’s role in changing it, I found the works of Rachel Carson, David Suzuki, Bill Mollison and Tim Flannery, as well as the joint efforts of Mort Rosenblum and Doug Williamson, particularly helpful.

My hitherto fragmented understanding of anthropological history finally began to coalesce while reading the works of Jared Diamond, his views expressed in Collapse being especially inspirational to the concepts of pachacuti.

My personal perceptions of human nature, modern society and unfolding world events have been strongly shaped by the writings of Faulkner, Zola, Sartre, Rushdie, Proulx, Orwell, several Russians and the evergreen contributions of Steinbeck. Were it possible to retrospectively equip the ancient (and some not so ancient) philosophers with modern scientific knowledge, particularly in the field of genetics and evolution, many of them would likely want to revise their published works. But even in the light of recent advances those works provide invaluable sources of philosophical insight. It was largely from Socrates (as reported by Plato) that I came to appreciate the practical contribution that collective humility can make to human species sustainability, especially as it applies to the indulgence of scientific curiosity.

Every two years the WWF, also known as the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, publishes its Living Planet Report. This is a detailed study of the current state and trends of the natural world as well as the impost of the human footprint upon it. The United Nations Environment Program also publishes, annually, a year book of global environmental conditions and trends. Both of these reports are highly recommended reading for anyone trying to stay abreast of developing global environmental matters and human demographics.

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