The Wizard and the Prophet

This encyclopedic volume is a great introduction into the two prevailing schools of modern environmentalism and really the way modern society thinks about the future progress of the human race. Filled with interesting facts, history and anecdotes this book was an easy and engaging read although not a quick one, it took me a fair bit of time to work through the 450+ pages.

In the scientific light of men's destructive impact on nature, there are two visions on how to counter it: environmentalism wants to scale back and find a natural balance with nature (the prophet) and techno-optimism wants humans to prosper by overcoming nature's natural limits (the wizzard). Mann describes these two perspectives by portraying two men that were instrumental in the development of these two stances: William Vogt and Norman Borlaug. In between their biographies he looks at the two camps' strategies when it comes to famines, GMOs, clean water, fossil fuels, and the climate crisis.

The book doesn't pick a side and simply presents the facts, demonstrating how both visions can start with good intentions but can lead to setbacks. My vote goes to cautious techno-optimism with enhanced systems-thinking about the consequences new innovations bring along. Fascinating read!