Dimensions
152 x 229 x 26mm
All species on Earth interact with other species, whether those be the predators that chase them, the parasites that latch on to them, the mutualists on which they depend, or the pathogens that, although invisible, threaten to kill them.
Humans alone are unique in having removed ourselves from elements of these natural interactions. We have tried to scrub the nature off of our bodies in order to live “clean lives.” The truth, though, is that while we have benefited greatly from removing some species from our lives (think Polio), the removal of many species, even some of our gut worms, has left us with consequences that affect us every day.
In western countries, many chronic diseases appear to be related to the effect of our bodies missing our intestinal worms. Our stress, fear and anxiety relate to the influence of the predators that once stalked us, but that we have now mostly killed off. Our appendixes burst out of longing for the species they once helped protect us from. And our taste buds and other senses, shaped by our ancestral relationships with other species, push us and pull us toward foods that, once necessary, are making us sick. We are trapped in bodies that evolved to deal with many kinds of interactions, but we live in a world where we have removed the species with which we once interacted.
In some real way, clean living is making us sick and unhappy in other ways. The book concludes by considering the stories of several visionaries who aim to right these difficulties and re-engage us with the rest of life.
