Q&A
One of the world's most eminent biologists, Edward O. Wilson grew up steeped not only in the mechanics of the natural world but in the wonder of God's creation. The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, leading entomologist, and professor emeritus at Harvard University was raised a Southern Baptist in Alabama. Now a self-described "secular humanist," Wilson is one of the world's most eloquent advocates for the preservation of creatures great and small.
After publicly defending Darwin against supporters of intelligent design, Wilson is back to entreat evangelicals to work to safeguard the animal world in his new book, "The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth" (W.W. Norton Co., $21.95). Written as an open letter to an evangelical pastor, The Creation argues that no matter what your belief system, the Earth's countless life forms-with the possible exception of some mosquitoes and head lice-are worth saving.
Is this a plea to evangelicals to look at creation differently?
This is a plea to look at creation, period-and to see it as being in trouble. A lot of scientists, including myself, think it is quite possible by the end of the century that we could destroy the rest of the natural world and with it as many as half the species of plants and animals on Earth. Evangelicals have the political power to achieve enormous changes to save the environment. That alone is reason enough. But the point I want to make is that in my own interpretation, the matter is within the compass of mainstream religions to address this moral issue.
How do you respond to evangelicals who believe God gave humankind dominion over the Earth?
As one evangelical leader recently said, having dominion over the rest of life does not mean that we should trash it.
With technology giving us a better quality of life than ever before, what reason, other than moral, do people have for preserving species?
The moral reasons alone are powerful, but the natural world still holds within it vast preserves of potential knowledge for us, such as pharmaceuticals to discover and develop. Further, the natural world gives us today services that are priceless: water purification, soil replenishment, pollination, and cleansing the atmosphere. And we get it scot-free. So in looking at the remaining natural world we have to decide whether we'll continue to accept that enormous gift or whether we'll decide to do it all on our own, or most of it on our own. That is the key question that I believe should be addressed jointly by scientists and religious thinkers.
You talk a lot about insects and microbes in this book, but most environmentalists call on the public to save the whales or other large mammals.
The health of the microcosmic world is at least as important as the health of larger organisms because we don't know the vast majority of species in the microbial world, and we're not aware of what we're doing to them. They are vital for the maintenance of the systems our lives depend on, and we know that they're damaged along with larger organisms. That's why it's important to focus conservation not just on individual species, but on the ecosystems.
Is the lack of public science literacy part of the threat?
There's no question that a great part of the difficulties in planning and executing wise management of the environment is due to a lack of understanding of the issues on the part of the public. I saw The Creation as an opportunity to point to a pathway that goes through biology but entails principles and values that are likely to be most attractive and interesting to people generally.
You call the current situation a "biological catastrophe." Is it possible to avoid? Or would the costs be too great?
Estimates have been made that 70 percent of the species of plants and animals-apart from the micro-organisms about which we know very little-could be given some sort of protection for roughly one tenth of a percent of the world's gross domestic product. There's no economic risk to take care of living environment.
This story appears in the September 5, 2006 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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