A Natural History of the Future: What the Laws of Biology Tell Us about the Destiny of the Human Species

"Dunn’s book shocked me. We humans are remaking the world so thoroughly that we’ve become an evolutionary force causing rapid natural selection among other species. We’ve known this for decades, but Dunn shows just how speedy and ubiquitous the changes are. Our cities, agricultural fields, and even our bodies are incubators of evolutionary novelty. From viruses adapting to new homes—like Covid-19 , insects finding new ways to live in cities, and crop plants and diseases co-evolving, Dunn reframes what “nature” is and will be, both in the near future and long after the human species is gone. Most nineteenth and twentieth century natural history books looked back in time to better understand the present. But the study of history is also about charting possible futures. Dunn’s work and that of his colleagues in evolutionary biology offer a complement and a contrast. In doing so, we receive a significant dose of humility. Humans may be powerful and often destructive, but life’s generative capacity transcends us. In no way does this excuse short-sighted and unethical despoliation of habitats. Rather, the grandeur and creativity of evolution should inspire us to be more thoughtful members of life’s community. The moral imperative is to be better kin and neighbours, both to other humans and what philosopher David Abram calls the more-than-human world. This is easier if we know something about our extended family and home. Such knowledge is the highest aim of natural history, an expression of love for the world in all its diversity. Get the weekly Five Books newsletter The magic of books helps. They draw us into community. They also reveal something about our own natural history. The written word is one of the few communicative inventions truly unique to our species. Many other species have language and culture. But none can break the bonds of time and space as we do when we crack open a book and start to read. We wake from the page the thoughts and feelings of people long dead or far away. And so, the very act of reading is an experience of the unique natural history of our own species. Let’s use our super-power for the good of all!"