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The nature of tomorrow : a history of the environmental future / Michael Rawson.

Van Pelt Library GE140 .R39 2021
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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Rawson, Michael, author.
Contributor:
Rosengarten Family Fund.
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Environmental degradation--Social aspects.
Environmental degradation.
Industrialization--Environmental aspects.
Industrialization.
Economic development--Environmental aspects.
Economic development.
Progress--Environmental aspects.
Progress.
Climatic changes--Effect of human beings on.
Climatic changes.
Sustainable development.
Environmental sciences--Philosophy.
Environmental sciences.
Climate Change.
climate change.
sustainable development.
Medical Subjects:
Climate Change.
Physical Description:
xii, 233 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Place of Publication:
New Haven : Yale University Press, [2021]
Summary:
"An examination of how Western visions of endless future growth have contributed to the global environmental crisis. For centuries, the West has produced stories about the future in which humans use advanced science and technology to transform the earth. Michael Rawson uses a wide range of works that include Francis Bacon's New Atlantis, the science fiction novels of Jules Verne, and even the speculations of think tanks like the RAND Corporation to reveal the environmental paradox at the heart of these narratives: the single-minded expectation of unlimited growth on a finite planet. Rawson shows how these stories, which have long pervaded Western dreams about the future, have helped to enable an unprecedentedly abundant and technology-driven lifestyle for some while bringing the threat of environmental disaster to all. Adapting to ecological realities, he argues, hinges on the ability to create new visions of tomorrow that decouple growth from the idea of progress" -- Provided by publisher.
Contents:
Machine generated contents note: 1. A Story of Progress and Growth
2. Industrializing the Plot
3. An Evolutionary Tale
4. Narrating the Apocalypse
5. A Choice of Bad Endings.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 181-222) and index.
Local Notes:
Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.
ISBN:
9780300255195
0300255195
OCLC:
1245473004

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