The Myth of Progress – Toward a Sustainable Future

“Wessels is a tried-and-true master of nature writing… . [He] argues deftly that due to the limits of material resources, the finitude of time itself and the laws which govern the states in which energy can be captured, transferred or lost, we simply cannot expect to progress for no other reason than progress itself. We must have a moral underpinning that grounds and informs our interactions, both economic and interpersonal, within the world we inhabit.” * Monadnock Ledger-Transcript *“This is an impassioned, critical, and bold book. Wessels is guided by his overwhelming sense that the laws of sustainability demand respect, understanding, and interpretation, and unless we educate ourselves about their full complexity and truth, we will do irreparable damage to the landscapes we love.” * Northern Woodlands *

Tom Wessels is professor of ecology and the founding director of the master’s degree program in conservation biology at Antioch New England Graduate School. He is the author of Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England; Forest Forensics: A Field Guide to Reading the Forested Landscape; and Granite, Fire, and Fog: The Natural and Cultural History of Acadia.