On order
A bold, provocative, wide-ranging argument about the human idea of progress that offers a new vision of our future
Progress is power. Narratives of progress, the stories we tell about whether a society is moving in the right or the wrong direction, are immensely potent. Progress has built cities, flattened mountains, charted the globe, delved the oceans and space, created wealth, opportunity, and remarkable innovation, and ushered in a new epoch unique in our planet’s 4.5-billion-year history.But the modern story of progress is also a very dangerous fiction. It shapes our sense of what progress means, and justifies what we will do to achieve it—no matter the cost. We continue to subscribe to a set of myths, about dominion, growth, extraction, and expansion, that have fueled our success, but now threaten our—and all species’-- existence on a planet in crisis.
In
“Geographer McDonald debuts with a sweeping reappraisal of the notion of historical progress. … The result is a provocative interrogation of the very foundations of modern society.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“There is an idealism to this book that refreshes readers jaded by the claims of 'techno-futurism' and the aspirations of oligarchs. You read this book and want to love the earth rather than reach for stars.” —Kirkus Reviews
"This is a wise book, and hopefully its wisdom will rub off. We need somehow to take the human traits that fixated on 'more' and turn them towards 'better,' with a rich definition of that blessed state!" -- Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
"An urgent critique of the ideology of progress, for readers who enjoy the work of Thomas Piketty, David Graeber, and Jared Diamond." --Library Journal
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