Catastrophic Thinking: Extinction and the Value of Diversity from Darwin to the Anthropocene (science.culture)

We live in an age in which we are repeatedly reminded—by scientists, by the media, by popular culture—of the looming threat of mass extinction. We’re told that human activity is currently producing a sixth mass extinction, perhaps of even greater magnitude than the five previous geological catastrophes that drastically altered life on Earth. Indeed, there is a very real concern that the human species may itself be poised to go the way of the dinosaurs, victims of the most recent mass extinction some 65 million years ago. How we interpret the causes, consequences, and moral imperatives of extinction is deeply embedded in the cultural values of any given historical moment. And as David Sepkoski reveals, the history of scientific ideas about extinction over the past two hundred years—as both a past and current process—are implicated in major changes in the way Western society has approached biological and cultural diversity. It seems self-evident to most of us that diverse ecosystems and societies are intrinsically valuable, but the current fascination with diversity is a relatively recent phenomenon. In fact, the way we value diversity depends crucially on our sense that it is precarious—that it is something actively threatened, and that its loss could have profound consequences. In __Catastrophic Thinking__, Sepkoski uncovers how and why we learned to value diversity as a precious resource at the same time as we learned to think catastrophically about extinction. A history of scientific ideas about extinction that explains why we learned to value diversity as a precious resource at the same time as we learned to "think catastrophically" about extinction. We live in an age in which we are repeatedly reminded—by scientists, by the media, by popular culture—of the looming threat of mass extinction. We're told that human activity is currently producing a sixth mass extinction, perhaps of even greater magnitude than the five previous geological catastrophes that drastically altered life on Earth. Indeed, there is a very real concern that the human species may itself be poised to go the way of the dinosaurs, victims of the most recent mass extinction some 65 million years ago. How we interpret the causes and consequences of extinction and their ensuing moral imperatives is deeply embedded in the cultural values of any given historical moment. And, as David Sepkoski reveals, the history of scientific ideas about extinction over the past two hundred years—as both a past and a current process—is implicated in major changes in the way Western society has approached biological and cultural diversity. It seems self-evident to most of us that diverse ecosystems and societies are intrinsically valuable, but the current fascination with diversity is a relatively recent phenomenon. In fact, the way we value diversity depends crucially on our sense that it is precarious—that it is something actively threatened, and that its loss could have profound consequences. In Catastrophic Thinking , Sepkoski uncovers how and why we learned to value diversity as a precious resource at the same time as we learned to think catastrophically about extinction. "It seems self-evident to most of us that diverse ecosystems and societies are intrinsically valuable, but in fact the current fascination with diversity is a relatively recent phenomenon. What is also clear from our current perspective is that the way we value diversity depends crucially on our sense that it is precarious-that it is something actively threatened, and that its loss could have profound consequences. In other words, fears about extinction permeate current discussions of biological and cultural diversity, and so, David Sepkoski argues, if we better understand the history of extinction, we can make better sense of our fears and anxieties about diversity loss. This book shows why we simply cannot appreciate how and why diversity has become such a central value in our cultural landscape without understanding how extinction came to embody a sense of catastrophic threat"-- Información de la editorial "It seems self-evident to most of us that diverse ecosystems and societies are intrinsically valuable, but in fact the current fascination with diversity is a relatively recent phenomenon. What is also clear from our current perspective is that the way we value diversity depends crucially on our sense that it is precarious-that it is something actively threatened, and that its loss could have profound consequences. In other words, fears about extinction permeate current discussions of biological and cultural diversity, and so, David Sepkoski argues, if we better understand the history of extinction, we can make better sense of our fears and anxieties about diversity loss. This book shows why we simply cannot appreciate how and why diversity has become such a central value in our cultural landscape without understanding how extinction came to embody a sense of catastrophic threat"-- Provided by publisher "It seems self-evident to most of us that diverse ecosystems and societies are intrinsically valuable, but in fact the current fascination with diversity is a relatively recent phenomenon. What is also clear from our current perspective is that the way we value diversity depends crucially on our sense that it is precarious-that it is something actively threatened, and that its loss could have profound consequences. In other words, fears about extinction permeate current discussions of biological and cultural diversity, and so, David Sepkoski argues, if we better understand the history of extinction, we can make better sense of our fears and anxieties about diversity loss. This book shows why we simply cannot appreciate how and why diversity has become such a central value in our cultural landscape without understanding how extinction came to embody a sense of catastrophic threat."--Résumé de l'éditeur These days, we are repeatedly reminded - by scientists, by the media, by popular culture - of the looming threat of mass extinction. We're told that human activity is currently producing a sixth mass extinction. Indeed, there is a very real concern that the human species may itself be poised to go the way of the dinosaurs, victims of the most recent mass extinction some 65 million years ago. How we interpret the causes and consequences of extinction and their ensuing moral imperatives is deeply embedded in the cultural values of any given historical moment. And, as David Sepkoski reveals, the history of scientific ideas about extinction over the past two hundred years - as both a past and a current process - is implicated in major changes in the way Western society has approached biological and cultural diversity