In a season of Greek mythology NIAMH THORNTON looks at an intriguing relocation of Medea to contemporary Mexico
Latest editorial
Capitalism and the planet – analysis reqd.
RICHARD MURGATROYD is disappointed by an ambitious survey that fails to get to grips with the relationship between human consciousness and nature
PROFIT BEFORE HUMANITY: Female pigs used for breeding - 'breeding sows' are confined most of their lives in 'gestation crates' which are so small that they cannot even turn around. The pigs' basic needs are denied, and they experience severe physical and psychological disorders
[Farm Sanctuary/flickr/CC]
By chance, RENATA MEDEIROS MIRRA comes across a fine new two hander about the enduring legacy of the Miners' strike
Rescue care from the realm of sentimentality: what happens when we replace the vertical relationship between benefactor and victim with interdependence, collective organisation and struggle?
New releases by Interpol, Phoebe Bridgers, Lambchop
ANGUS REID urges us to understand the persecution of Jason Arday from a political and historical perspective, and to see the victim in human terms
Re-releases of the classics Gypsy Rhumba and Buena Vista Social Club, and a stunning album by Palestinian artist Faris Ishaq
Nothing, says ANDY HEDGECOCK, can rescue this undistinguished amalgam of ponderous melodrama and shallow philosophical speculation
Living on Earth: Life, Consciousness and The Making of the Natural World
Peter Godfrey-Smith
A CLIMATE emergency, species extinction, habitat destruction... all largely driven by human actions and choices. Why has our impact become so destructive? Logically, consciousness – whether human or animal – plays an important part.
The author begins with fundamentals. He charts the rise of life from the simplest chemical processes 3.8 billion years ago to the present. The emphasis is on the role evolution played within a unified, complex, ever-changing ecosystem. Shifts in climate are decisive, but living creatures also change their environments simply by living. No species in the long history of life on Earth has proved so dynamic as us.
Similar stories
JAMES WALSH is moved by a provocative and original take on the relationship between ecology and architecture, and a plea to work with, not against, the materials and minerals of our world
Nature as well as society works dialectically, asserts the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School
Rising temperatures and human activity are making life far harder for these vital pollinators. ALEX DITTRICH explains
The selection, analysis and interpretation of historical ‘facts’ always takes place within a paradigm, a model of how the world works. That’s why history is always a battleground, declares the Marx Memorial Library