Biocivilisations

A New Look at the Science of Life

By: Predrag B. Slijepcevic, Vandana Shiva - foreword

Narrated by: Madison Niederhauser

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Biocivilisations is an important, original rethinking of the mystery of life and its deep uncertainty, exploring the complex civilisations that existed on Earth long before humans.

What is life? Many scientists believe life can be reduced to ‘mechanistic’ factors, such as genes and information codes. Yet there is a growing army of scientists, philosophers and artists who reject this view. The gene metaphor is not only too simplistic but deeply misleading. If there is a way to reduce life to a single principle, that principle must acknowledge the creativity of life, turning genetic determinism on its head.

The term biocivilisations is the acknowledgement of this uncertainty of life, as opposed to a quasi-certainty of the human position governed by a narrow time window of the scientific revolution. Life existed without humans for more than 99.99 percent of the Earth’s existence. Life will also continue without humans long after our inevitable extinction.

In Biocivilisations, Dr Predrag Slijepčević shows how bacteria, amoebas, plants, insects, birds, whales, elephants and countless other species not only preceded human beings but demonstrate elements of how we celebrate human civilisation–complex communication, agriculture, science, art, medicine and more.

Humans must try to adopt this wisdom from other biocivilisations that have long preceded our own. By rethinking the current scientific paradigm, Dr Slijepčević makes clear that a transformation–from a naïve young species into a more mature species in tune with its surroundings–will save us from our own violence and the violence we inflict on the rest of our living planet.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Predrag B. Slijepcevic (P)2023 Chelsea Green

A daring vision of Biology for the modern age

A deeply compelling ecological argument for a new vision of Biology that gives due credit to the real inventors of civilization, art, consciousness, and creativity.
It is relatively common to see naturalists compare other members of the animal kingdom to humans - remarking on their humanlike attributes and their own form of intelligence. However, Biocivilizations goes a step further and shows how ALL kingdoms of life from fungal to bacterial exhibit marks of mindfulness, awareness, and civilization.
A must-read vision for the challenges facing the scientific world in the modern era, and a sharp rebuke of the NeoDarwinist status quo that denies the agency of "lower life" and treats biology as mechanical determinist systems.
We cannot claim to work for the betterment of the ecological world if we do not understand it, and if we continue to claim that humans have sole ownership of concepts such as free will, creativity, engineering, and civilization. I can only hope ideas such as the ones bravely proposed by Slijepcevic and his peers can be incorporated into the scientific understanding.

Good science-on-civilisation book

Not quite what I was looking for but is still a good explanation of the roles of life on this planet and the societies they create from the viewpoint of science

Not something I'd recommend

The book started out fine but it quickly turned into what felt like a science hating book that had religious undertones. it would constantly say that modern education is doing this or modern scientists say that with nothing to back up those claims whatsoever. As someone with a deep passion for biology I regret reading this book and would urge you to move on to something else.