William Paulson

The Natural Contract

William Paulson; Michel Serres; Elizabeth MacArthur

Synopsis:
In this translation of his influential book 1990 book "Le Contrat Naturel", Serres calls for natural contract to be negotiated between Earth and its inhabitants, as global environmental change forces us to reconsider our relationship to nature. World history is often referred to as the story of human conflict. That history, according to Serres, must now include the violence humans perpetuate upon the earth and the violence Earth poses to human life in response. He believes that, just as a social contract once brought order to human relations, a "natural contract" with the earth is necessary to establish balance and reciprocity with the planet that gives us life. Serres sees humanity as a spacecraft that with the help of science and technology has cast off from familiar moorings. Instead we find a network of relations both stranger and stronger than any we have ever known, binding us to one another and to the world. The philosopher's harrowing and joyous task, Serres tells us, is that of comprehending and experiencing the bonds of violence and love that unite us in our spacewalk to mother earth.

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Other editions: Softcover - 1995, Hardcover - 1992, Softcover - 1992