The theory of evolution connects us to the natural world, explaining how                  and why we are a part of nature. The idea of progress, on the other hand, projects a                  destination. "If nature can supply wonderfully elegant solutions to the problem of                  survival by trying out test models derived solely by chance, then surely it's                  possible for us to find our way forward," write David Rothenberg and Wandee Pryor,                  setting the terms of the discussion. But is society going somewhere in particular?                  Is nature improving? The stories, poems, essays, and artwork in Writing the Future                  examine the concepts of evolution and progress through a variety of artistic and                  scientific lenses and speculate on how these ideas can help us appreciate our place                  in the world.The first section of the book, "Science, Mustard, Moths," looks at                  evolution's founding concepts and personalities, and includes Theodore Roszak's                  challenge to a Darwinian orthodoxy, which he traces back to another pioneering                  theorist, Alfred Russel Wallace. The second section, "Steps from the Cave," focuses                  on human change, and features Ellen Dissanayake's unusual look at prehistoric cave                  paintings in France, poetry by John Canaday, and a richly layered short story by                  Floyd Skloot. The third section, "Places in Time," moves outward to examine the                  world evolving and includes a reminiscence by Leslie Van Gelder of growing up "in                  the church of Darwin" and Eva Salzman's account of an infinitely reverberating walk                  through a Long Island neighborhood. In the fourth section, "Getting to the Future,"                  the writers consider different manifestations of progress: Katherine Creed Page                  examines a "future perfect" through reproductive technology, Kevin Warwick reports                  on linking his nervous system to a computer by means of a small electronic circuit                  implanted under his skin, and Joan Maloof meditates on our possible future                  "de-evolution" -- an abdication of our dominating role and gradual return to nature                  -- which brings the book full circle.

Writing the Future: Progress and Evolution PDF

The list of books you might like