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Nature and Society Book review The Big Picture is a small book with an ambitious scope and a clear purpose. Readers should prepare for their horizons to be broadened and to develop new perspectives as they absorb the information carefully laid out by Stephen Boyden. The beauty of The Big Picture is that it provides a readable and succinct account of the evolution of life on the planet Earth with particular emphasis on the development of human civilisation. Despite its small size the book is packed with facts and lives up to its title admirably. However, it also goes further than a presentation of the facts: several interrelated perspectives are presented. These include a time perspective of the history and evolution of life as well as an ecological perspective of human development in which Boyden identifies four main ecological phases (hunter-gatherer, early farming, early urban and high-consumption). In developing these perspectives Boyden provides the reader with a general factual background while at the same time raising awareness of several areas of concern. Even though many of us may regard ourselves as generally well-informed about the ecological challenges which we now face, some would admit to a lack of knowledge or historical perspective about the development of human civilisation. This book provides such a perspective in a nutshell, and is essential reading for anyone who wishes to further their understanding about the nature of human culture, and how human behaviour in a non-natural habitat can impact the natural world. An important perspective presented in The Big Picture is that of changing patterns of disease as civilisation has evolved from the natural hunter-gatherer phase through to the current high consumption phase. Boyden suggests that the “natural habitat” of the human species is still the hunter-gatherer habitat, because there has been too little time for the species to adapt to the current conditions of civilisation. An appreciation of this perspective from the hunter-gatherer phase can be helpful when assessing aspects of the current human condition. For example, Boyden uses the conditions of hunter-gatherer society as a basis for identifying what he calls the universal health needs of the human species. He lists these in two areas: the biophysical, such as clean water and a natural diet, and the intangible, such as emotional support and social well-being. These health needs must be met if human activity is to achieve a state of ecological sustainability. Boyden suggests that deviations from natural conditions are the cause of many common diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. This suggestion is supported by recent research into athletes’ diets in the USA which has shown that athletic performance can be improved if athletes adopt a diet low in carbohydrates typical of a hunter-gatherer diet. The value of a historical perspective such as presented by Boyden is not to suggest that we romanticize hunter-gatherer conditions, but rather that we re-evaluate our current human condition and cultural beliefs based on these universal needs. Some of our current societal beliefs, for example, that happiness increases as material well-being increases, need to be re-examined in the light of our impact on the natural world and associated energy and resource use. While Boyden does not propose any panacea for the future, he does suggest some essential characteristics of an “ecological phase” which could replace the current high consumption phase. As Boyden states in his introduction, one of the aims of his book is to stimulate thought and discussion about how society should go about recognising and dealing with some of the serious problems we face today. Although the book is written for a general readership, it will appeal to people from all walks of life who are prepared to consider different perspectives and to challenge ingrained belief systems. The value of the book lies in its factual presentation of a range of perspectives on human civilisation thereby laying a solid foundation for people to think about where we go from here. Reviewed by Catherine Gross December 2005 - January 2006 edition accessible here
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