Böcker av Paul Shepard

Through much of history, humanity's relationship with the earth has been plagued by ambivalence - while enjoying and appreciating the forces of nature, we have also sought to plunder, alter and control them. The author of this study uncovers the cultural roots of our ecological crisis.

In a world increasingly dominated by human beings, the survival of other species becomes more and more questionable. This book offers an alternative to an ""us or them"" mentality, proposing that other species are integral to humanity's evolution and exist at the core of our imagination.

Paul Shepard presents an account of human behaviour and ecology in light of our past. In it, he contends that agriculture is responsible for our ecological decline and looks to the hunting and gathering lifestyle as a model more closely in tune with our essential nature.

An exploration of the roots of our attitudes toward nature, this text first appeared in 1967. It was among the first books of a new genre that has elucidated the ideas, beliefs and images that lie behind our modern destruction and conservation of the natural world.

Paul Shepard was one of the mprofound and original thinkers of our time. Seminal works like The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game, Thinking Animals, and Nature and Madness introduced readers to new and provocative ideas about humanity and its relationship to the natural world. Throughout his long and distinguished career, Paul Shepard returned repeatedly to his guiding theme, the central tenet of his thought: that our essential human nature is a product of our genetic heritage, formed through thousands of years of evolution during the Pleistocene epoch, and that the currsubversion of that Pleistocene heritage lies at the heart of today's ecological and social ills.Coming Home to the Pleistocene provides the fullest explanation of that theme. Completed just before his death in the summer of 1996, it represents the culmination of Paul Shepard's life work and constitutes the clearest, maccessible expression of his ideas. Coming Home to the Pleistocene pulls together the threads of his vision, considers new research and thinking that expands his own ideas, and integrates material within a new matrix of scientific thought that both enriches his original insights and allows them to be considered in a broader context of currintellectual controversies. In addition, the book explicitly addresses the fundamental question raised by Paul Shepard's work: What can we do to recreate a life more in tune with our genetic roots? In this book, Paul Shepard presents concrete suggestions for fostering the kinds of ecological settings and cultural practices that are optimal for human health and well-being.Coming Home to the Pleistocene is a valuable book for those familiar with the life and work of Paul Shepard, as well as for new readers seeking an accessible introduction to and overview of his thought.