THE CHALLENGE OF MAN'S FUTURE

by Harrison Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 19, 1954

The problems and possibilities of man's future on an earth he is constantly and increasingly draining of food, energy and vital materials and at the same time populating ever more numerously --these are arresting indeed. A young geochemist here takes up the challenge,- to survey the history of man on this planet, to show the results of his emergence, and to surmise possible turnings of man's path. He balances statistics on population against our stock of resources and considers the ""what next"" of both. He divides the world into three groups: nations still agrarian, those already industrialized, and those in transition. He points out impact of the last group, the West, on the first two groups in the East, as health measures prolong life but birth rates remain constant, upsetting the birth- death rate balance. What is our food potential? How long will atomic and solar emergy fulfill man's needs after the fossil fuels are used up? What will the future raw materials of industry be? Will industrial culture survive or will we return to the agrarian civilizations of China and India, wise in ways of technology but lacking in materials? Geochemistry merges with geopolitics and ideology as these questions and many more are considered. A serious appraisal of a serious situation of which man must take account and act accordingly, this lacks, through its very intensity and purpose, the humor of perspective that would attract a larger audience.

Pub Date: March 19, 1954

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1954

Categories: NONFICTION