title: Human Nature: A Blueprint for Managing the Earth--by People, for People
author: James Trefil
description: With several lively and informal works of popular science to his credit (<i>Sharks Have No Bones</i>; <i>Are We Unique?</i>), Trefil is certainly qualified to tackle the controversial, timely topic of how humans ought to affect the planet they live on. He argues that from the dawn of an agricultural society, man has always engineered nature to suit his needs. And because we're the only form of life with the ability to move mountains (as much literally as metaphorically), there's no rational reason not to manage the environment mainly for the benefit of man"an aggressive, unapologetic inversion of an Earth First philosophy. With the advent of 21st-century scientific breakthroughs"particularly the mapping of DNA and forays into genetic manipulation"this rather radically reasoned book declares that a bold new world of "overcoming the limits imposed by nature" awaits. It's a vision of planetary terraforming imbued with bravura and optimism (Trefil declares that alarm over global warming is a nearsighted cousin to the millennium hysteria around Y2K). The author's hubristic, occasionally cranky dismissal of the environmental movement as mere "pop ecology" is sure to have greens seeing red. But readers who think of the wilderness primarily as a place to spend the weekend will be reassured by his vision of the power of science, rather than restrained stewardship, as mankind's best bet for saving the planet.<br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
zlib_text: ▲
  Order and Security
  Throughout history, people and 
  governments have tried to resolve 
  conflicts and establish order and 
  security.
  People have sought ways to protect 
  themselves from danger and uncertainty. 
  To provide for their security, people have 
  created communities, nations, and 
  organizations. To help provide order, 
  people have created laws and economic 
  systems.
  ▲
  Ideas, Beliefs, and Values
  Ideas, beliefs, and values have 
  resulted in distinct societies and 
  political systems.
  Throughout history, people have sought to 
  find a deeper meaning to human life. 
  Religion, cultural values, and codes of 
  ethics have always influenced social 
  customs, laws, and forms of government.
  ▲
  Physical Geography
  Physical geography influences the 
  development of culture and trade.
  People and societies have been affected by 
  the physical world in which they exist. In 
  turn, human activities have had a 
  profound impact on the world.
  ▲
  Self-Determination
  The quest for national self-
  determination 