Jeremy Rifkin has for forty years written at the forefront of many critical issues. There is something demanding and pushy about his presentation, which probably keeps him from being better known. His most recent book should not be ignored. The first 2/3 of the book are good presentations of things that we have mostly thought about but well articulated. The third part of the book moves into new territory about who we are as a species what the Earth is, and how we might live here better. I am still reading and picking out some thoughts as he goes along, finding it really helpful for gardenworld.
Darwin noted in his travels that forager-hunters were constantly observing other animals and would mimic their behavior, in a sense embedding their spirit into their own. Historian Lewis Mumford observed that incorporating the agency of other lliving creatures gave our early ancestors clues to how better to survive:Being imitative as well as curious, he may have learned trapping from the spider, basketry from the birds’ nests, dam building from beavers, burrowing from rabbits, and the art of using poisons from snakes. Unlike most species, man did not hesitate to learn from other creatures and copy their ways; by appropriating their diet[s] and methods of getting food he multiplied his own chances for survival.
Excerpt From The Age of ResilienceJeremy Rifkin
To get into gardenworld we need lots of new thinking, thinking that might feel awkward and even boring or offputting, but we need to persevere in opening the new and unknown.