The Dominant Animal

“In The Dominant Animal, the Ehrlichs step back and analyse the big picture, looking carefully at how humans have evolved to dominance and, in the process, are laying waste the planet. Their message is that our technological advances aren’t matched by how well we treat one another or the environment around us.”– “Vancouver Sun”“Is there an armchair scientist on your gift list? Then you can’t go wrong with The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment by Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich. This fascinating book is not for a lightweight; it’s filled with hypotheses, insight and ideas for thinkers. This is a perfect gift for someone who loves to study culture, but will also be a great for anyone who’s trying to ‘go green’ this year.”– “Eagle Tribune””…The Dominant Animal tells the story of how mankind came to dominate nearly every inch of the earth. [It] spans the entire history of the world, weaving both cultural and biological evolution into the ambitious narrative. At its core are timely questions we would all do well to consider: Is it in our best interest to dominate Earth? Are we creating a future we want to live in?“– “Plenty Magazine”“Alpha male and female of contemporary science … the Ehrlichs convey a message at once chilling and hopeful…. The big ideas and the tenor of The Dominant Animal are right on. The book rejects starry eyed insistence on new technology as humankind’s savior in favor of socially responsible, if admittedly difficult-to-enact, prescriptions.”– “SEED Magazine”“No one has more authority to write on these matters than the husband-and-wife team of Stanford biologists Paul and Anne Ehrlich. For decades now they have been documenting and warning of humans’ effects on the environment. Their new book, The Dominant Animal, continues their chronicle of the damage we have done to our home…. This is an important book, with much information and some really stimulating ideas. We need to build on these ideas, because the world is in an environmental mess and things are not getting better.”– “The Washington Post”“The Ehrlichs, in The Dominant Animal, cover an enormous amount of scientific ground in looking at both the big picture in terms of environmental dangers and challenges while also offering detailed explanations of how humans have evolved, both genetically and culturally, within our environment. The book relates precise science in easily understandable terms.”– “Palo Alto Weekly”“Their latest book, The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment, continues to drum home the message that humans are on a collision course with ecological catastrophe. But what’s new and notable is the dual biological and cultural lens the Ehrlichs use to diagnose the underlying cause of our predicament… the book left me wanting more–hungry for revolutionary new insights whose very existence would shine the right way forward. If we’d listened to Ehrlich 40 years ago, perhaps we’d already be on that path.”– “Audubon”

Paul R. Ehrlich is Bing Professor of Population Studies and professor of biological sciences at Stanford University and a fellow of the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics. Anne H. Ehrlich is affiliated with Stanford’s Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Conservation Biology, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.