The Evolution of Power: A New Understanding of the History of Life

by Geerat J. Vermeij

A sweeping new account of the role of power in the evolution of all life on Earth

Power has many dimensions, from individual attributes such as strength and speed to the collective advantages of groups. The Evolution of Power takes readers on a breathtaking journey across history and the natural world, revealing how the concept of power unifies a vast range of phenomena in the evolution of life―and how natural selection has placed humanity and the planet itself on a trajectory of ever-increasing power.

Drawing on evidence from fossils, living organisms, and contemporary society, Geerat Vermeij documents increases in power at all scales, from body size, locomotor performance, and the use of force in competition to efficiency in production and consumption within ecosystems. He shows how power―which he defines as the rate at which organisms acquire and apply energy―is tied to the emergence of cooperation, and how the modern economy, which for the first time has established a monopoly over the biosphere by a single species, is a continuation of evolutionary trends stretching back to the dawn of life. Vermeij persuasively argues that we can find solutions to the many problems arising from this extreme concentration of power by broadening our exclusively human-centered perspective.

A masterful work by one of today’s most innovative and forward-thinking naturalists, The Evolution of Power offers a new understanding of our place in the grand sweep of evolutionary history.

Genres: Evolution, Science, Anthropology

264 pages, Hardcover

Published November 14, 2023

Reviews

[Benji]

'Power confers many advantages to economic systems, including a degree of independence from external agencies, a greater capacity to retain and reuse resources, and the ability to recover from great crises. Great power at the ecosystem level could, however, also usher in an increased threat of internal disruption. If over time the constraints on individual and collective power are relaxed, then the possibility that some sector will acquire truly exceptional power also becomes more likely. In other words, it could be that internal sources of destruction intensify even as the influence of external agencies wanes. Like outside forces, internally generated disruptions could modify or even compromise the collaborative arrangements on which the acquisition of great power depends.'

[Yanick Punter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting bits. Needs a reread