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The Synthetic Age: Outdesigning Evolution, Resurrecting Species, and Reengineering Our World Hardcover – March 16, 2018

by Christopher J. Preston (Author)

4.0 34 ratings

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Imagining a future in which humans fundamentally reshape the natural world using nanotechnology, synthetic biology, de-extinction, and climate engineering.

We have all heard that there are no longer any places left on Earth untouched by humans. The significance of this goes beyond statistics documenting melting glaciers and shrinking species counts. It signals a new geological epoch. In The Synthetic Age, Christopher Preston argues that what is most startling about this coming epoch is not only how much impact humans have had but, more important, how much deliberate shaping they will start to do. Emerging technologies promise to give us the power to take over some of Nature's most basic operations. It is not just that we are exiting the Holocene and entering the Anthropocene; it is that we are leaving behind the time in which planetary change is just the unintended consequence of unbridled industrialism. A world designed by engineers and technicians means the birth of the planet's first Synthetic Age.

Preston describes a range of technologies that will reconfigure Earth's very metabolism: nanotechnologies that can restructure natural forms of matter; “molecular manufacturing” that offers unlimited repurposing; synthetic biology's potential to build, not just read, a genome; “biological mini-machines” that can outdesign evolution; the relocation and resurrection of species; and climate engineering attempts to manage solar radiation by synthesizing a volcanic haze, cool surface temperatures by increasing the brightness of clouds, and remove carbon from the atmosphere with artificial trees that capture carbon from the breeze.

What does it mean when humans shift from being caretakers of the Earth to being shapers of it? And in whom should we trust to decide the contours of our synthetic future? These questions are too important to be left to the engineers.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

The MIT Press
Publication date

March 16, 2018
Grade level

10 - 12
Dimensions

6.31 x 0.79 x 9.31 inches
ISBN-10

0262037610
ISBN-13

978-0262037617
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Preston's book is an excellent spur and contribution to this necessary debate....Highly recommended.—Environmental Values—

The Synthetic Age succeeds quite brilliantly in its goals. In providing clear, engaging explanations, often with an effective use of humor, Preston offers non-specialist readers a useful understanding of technological advances that are often hidden behind paywalls or impenetrable thickets of jargon. Preston has made thoughtful choices in terms of his audience: his intended readers may appreciate the fluid readability and concise length of the text, while scientists may disagree with the simplifications or chafe at the lack of footnotes or other forms of citation through much of the book. Similarly, scholars in the environmental humanities may feel the disconnect between the text's supposed neutrality and its unexamined biases. Ultimately, Preston's position as a non-scientist is a strength and demonstrates the interdisciplinarity and democracy essential to consciously choosing a new age that reflects the best that our species has to offer.

—Minding Nature—

About the Author

Christopher J. Preston is Professor of Philosophy and a Research Fellow in the Mansfield Center's Program on Ethics and Public Affairs at the University of Montana.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ The MIT Press; First Edition (March 16, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0262037610
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0262037617
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 10 - 12
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.04 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.31 x 0.79 x 9.31 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,850,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,854 in Environmentalism
- #5,505 in Evolution (Books)
- #5,712 in Nature Conservation

Customer Reviews:
4.0 34 ratings

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Christopher J. Preston

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Christopher James Preston is an award-winning writer based in Missoula, MT. Author of four books, his work has appeared in The Atlantic, Discover Magazine, Smithsonian, Aeon, and the BBC. He is a native of England but has lived the last three decades in the U.S. where he is energized by the wildlife and the large landscapes. In addition to writing, he is a college professor and has spent time as a commercial fisherman, a tool librarian, and a backcountry Park Service Ranger.

His first book, Grounding Knowledge, was a philosophical exploration of the power of place. Saving Creation, his second, was a biography of Holmes Rolston III, the "father of environmental ethics." In 2018, he wrote the award-winning Synthetic Age: Outdesigning Evolution, Resurrecting Species, and Reengineering Our World. The book catalogs how powerful emerging technologies are actively replacing nature with an artificial world. It has been translated into six languages

Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries that Change How We Think About Animals (coming February 2023) is his most eye-catching work yet. In the midst of the sixth extinction, he travels to several countries and finds a dozen recovering species that are bucking the larger trend. He explores recovery sites where he interviews scientists, wildlife advocates, and native people. He finds hope in returning bison, wolves, humpback whales, Marsican bears, sea otters, and more. With each species, he also uncovers an important lesson about how to share the landscape with a returning animal.

In the academic arena, Preston has published extensively on climate engineering, synthetic biology, wilderness, and the new epoch of the Anthropocene. He is a recognized expert on the ethics of solar radiation management and on the use of biotechnology for conservation.

To recharge his batteries, he is a mountain biker and a skier.

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4 out of 5

34 global ratings

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Book Reviewer

Clear, informative, and timely

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2018

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Here are three things to help in deciding if this book is for you:

1. Do you want an up-to-date discussion of climate change and environmental ethics that is clear and accessible without being dumbed down or written in such technical language that only three people want to read it? This book delivers.

2. Do you want an author who writes with confidence about the subject, yet enough humility not to come off as a self-righteous "environmental fundamentalist" the way the vast majority of those writing about such things do? Christopher Preston delivers.

3. Do you want a book that embodies "philosophy as a way of life," instead of the bankrupt notion of "professional philosophy" that is practiced in most American universities today? The Synthetic Age epitomizes the how philosophy at its best seeks to ask the right questions as much or if not more than seeking the right answers.

Few philosophers are equally good writers. Few writers are equally good at philosophical thinking. Christopher Preston is one who possesses both.

3 people found this helpful

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charles brandon hayes

The background we need for critically evaluating anthropocene technologies

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2018

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A lot has been written about the unintended global ecological messes that new technologies have caused in the last century. Far less has been written about the technologies that aim to intentionally alter natural and planet-wide processes and systems in the very near future (in some cases, even now). Preston’s book introduces us to these important technologies. This is not a work about speculative science fiction, but about the presently emerging technologies that everyone around the globe has an interest in knowing about and becoming involved in ensuring that they are used wisely and justly, or else not used at all. The work provides just the right blend of informative introductions to new technologies along with relevant ethical considerations of these technologies in order to equip readers to think critically - and, Preston hopes, collectively - about emerging technologies. This book is accessible and empowering - required reading for the anthropocence.

4 people found this helpful

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IC

GREAT SERVICE

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2020

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DELIVERY WAS FAST, ITEM OF TOP QUALITY,GREAT SERVICE.IC

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Diane L Krahe

An important book for a new age

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2018

Philosopher Christopher Preston shares with readers what he’s learned about a mind-blowing array of technologies, in various stages of development, that aim to alter Nature as we know it – deliberately. This marks a huge departure from Industrial Age human impacts, Preston argues, which have become increasingly significant to be sure but have been largely unintentional in terms of soiling our nest. He reports on emerging technologies from the cellular level to the atmospheric level and beyond, designed to 1) improve human quality of life, 2) aid other species, or 3) combat the myriad consequences of human-caused climate change and perhaps even start to moderate global temperature rise. All come with lots of unknowns. Those in control of these scientific gambles potentially have a lot to gain economically, Preston stresses. He does not weigh in on which of these “Synthetic Age” developments he believes to be ethical or unethical, which perhaps some readers might find a little confusing: is the author buying into this or not? Rather, he insists that implementation of any of these technologies must be based on democratic decision making rather than the longstanding dictates of capitalism. The first few micro-level chapters require the reader to delve into what for many of us is pretty abstract detail (nanotechnology), but throughout Preston is a clear storyteller and an effective translator of complex science to a popular audience. This is an important book; the more people who read it, the closer we’ll be to the informed citizenry needed for that democratic decision making he’s talking about.

3 people found this helpful

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Better Yeti

Lightweight

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2019

Um, any inventory of "Key Figures" that includes Michael Crichton and Ray Kurzweil and doesn't include George Church or Jennifer Doudna just isn't putting in the effort. There's a lot of earnest New School/writer's workshop striving here, but ultimately I feel like the author has, with this topic, bitten off more than he can chew. Nice effort, but fail.

One person found this helpful

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R. B. Cathcart

So-So

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2018

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A blah collection of predictable thoughts.

One person found this helpful

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Scott P

If you’re looking forward to tomorrow, you should read this book.

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2019

Lesson #1: we’re in it! The Synthetic Age is not a far-off sci-fi future. There’s no denying the extent to which humans have altered and re-engineered the (formerly) “natural” world. Concerned that human manipulation of the planet is going too far? Preston confirms it. From nano-technology to planetary weather, this book provides a stunning current reality of the intense impact of our species. We are literally EVERYWHERE. But that’s OK because someone’s keeping an eye on this meddling, right? Nope! Lesson #2: Engineers and corporate interests are way out ahead of policy and government. Preston illustrates with shocking examples and personal stories how we are all affected, and how individuals and corporations are making changes with massive potential impacts that may be irreversible. This book is a plea for engagement. It’s written by someone who knows the science and ethics of the Synthetic age, and the existential threat that it poses to his --and our-- well-being. If you’re looking forward to tomorrow, you should read this book.

One person found this helpful

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Parnin

Content

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020

I am working in synthetic biology, and for me did not add up any new interesting/ creative ideas.
It was quite generic with not-high intensity information.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Gerardo

A great book on contemporary scientific and the future of survival issues

Reviewed in Mexico on December 19, 2020

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Written for scientists, politicians and the general public. It documents the turning point in history we all are living, no matter where, in this earth without borders but with lots of pressure emanated by human activities, either at advanced laboratories, regions where people is starving or consuming at XXI century palaces. Very well documented by the author. We must thank Christopher J. Preston for his great writing, documenting opposing views on how to proceed today for the future, within a neutral political territory, citing the facts.

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