ABSTRACT
The human species has made an enormous impact on the natural world in three stages: • Initially in a modest way through the use of tools for hunting and other purposes. • More markedly through agriculture, selecting specific plants and animals to use. • Explosively through the large-scale use of inanimate sources of energy and of
machines and other devices that enhance the natural power of the muscles, the senses and the brain. Humans have rarely been short of self-congratulation about their achievements. After all, who else is there to tell them what a wonderful phenomenon they are?
