Customer Reviews

The Balance of Nature: Ecology's Enduring Myth

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John Kricher has done a masterful job of tracing the long history of ideas about a "balance of nature" and presents well-crafted arguments that refute the concept. Nature is not now in balance nor has it ever been--nature is dynamic and constantly changing. The heart and soul of the book is his analysis of evolution as the major controlling factor in nature. Humans have had an inordinate impact on natural systems and Kricher makes a strong case that humanity's future depends on how we act towards the world's ecosystems. This is truly a marvelous book--a must read for anyone interested in ecology, evolution, or conservation--and that should be everyone.

"The Balance of Nature" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Kricher's book interview ran here as cover feature on July 17, 2009.

The above title pretty much sums up the theme of the author. As he describes in his writing of the Neckar Cube: one way it seems embedded on the page, but looked at with a different perspective, it pops out. That is what the author manages to do for the layman in his well written, layed out, and thought out work. Very excellent! No doubt, in part do to both his teaching to and listening to His students.
The beginning chapters and subjects were the best. All are very good with the exception of the Global Climate Chapter. He is of the Al Gore school. I won't get into it, as many are as steadfast as I'am in their take on that subject matter. It is NOT a big deal, as far as his overall science.
What is a mjor disappointment with the whole field, and thus this book, as a representative work, is the absence, TOTAL absence of the chem trail issue of spraying over nearly a decade. Theses heavy metals, including aluminum and beryllium are certainly effecting the ecologies of the world. Simply google: Michael Murphy - What In THe World Are They Spraying?
Still I have to hand it to the author; he did change my point of view. It is a metaphor/therefore: five stars. The more authors can change views that are out of sync with reality, the better.