With a foreword by Vandana Shiva, who calls this “a brilliant book [that] shows a way out of the destructive trap of Anthropocentric arrogance”, Biocivilisations is an important, original rethinking of the mystery of life and its deep uncertainty, exploring the complex civilisations that existed on Earth long before humans.
Over the course of 272 pages, Slijepčević presents a rich, compelling and often surprising argument,
rooted in one underlying fact: life existed without humans for more than 99.99 per cent of the Earth’s existence. Life will also continue without humans long after our inevitable extinction.
Slijepčević shows how bacteria, amoebas, plants, insects, birds, whales, elephants and countless other species not only preceded human beings but demonstrate elements of how we celebrate human civilisation – complex communication, agriculture, science, art, medicine and more. He argues that humans must try to adopt this wisdom from other biocivilisations that have long preceded our own.
By rethinking the current scientific paradigm, Dr Slijepčević makes clear that a transformation – from a naïve young species into a more mature species in tune with its surroundings – will save us from our own violence and the violence we inflict on the rest of our living planet.
Biocivilisations: A New Look at the Science of Life by Dr Predrag B. Slijepčević (Chelsea Green Publishing).
