Common Ground

7.5 x 11”
200 pages, perfect bound (cold glued)

This book, Common Ground: Meditations on the Anthropocene, Earth’s Ecosystems, Human Intervention, & Our Loss of Control, analyzes Rachel Carson’s landmark book, Silent Spring, and contrasts it with James Lovelock’s 2007 text, The Revenge of Gaia. This book is my attempt to reconcile the two texts, drawing lines between the historic and present-day errors in human intervention on Earthly ecosystems.

Silent Spring shocked the world and later galvanized the first generation of environmentalist thinking. Published in 1962, the book served as radical proof of irresponsible poisoning, contamination, and death from pesticide use. Carson’s foundational work was imperative to the enlightenment of human consciousness, exposing ourselves to the impact and influence that human civilization has on natural systems. We now see more clearly the flaws in humanity's desire to control and master the natural world; and find ourselves in a time where we are challenged to think beyond the impacts of chemical pesticides and consider the greater issues that existentially threaten our livelihood: global warming and climate change.

On the other hand, James Lovelock argues in his book The Revenge of Gaia that the Earth is a living organism capable of regulating itself—to a point. He, along with other deep ecologists, offer a more severe and aggressive approach to the preservation of diverse life in order to preserve our Earthly habitat (Gaia). His science-based philosophy rejects the exploitation of Earth for human utility, and suggests a shift to a more conscious philosophy: a relationship with the earth that is not based in capitalistic pursuits, but instead recognizes the value of the health of the planet and the future of diverse life.