In this groundbreaking book the author considers the place of the human species within an evolving universe. He contends that the human species is special because it is the pinnacle of the evolutionary process and has a purpose of vital importance. From this perspective he reaches the conclusion that human-induced global warming is in the interests of life. This unique perspective on the environmental crisis will be of interest to anyone who cares about the future of life on Earth. What, if anything, is unique about the human species? Does the human species have a purpose? Is the human species the enemy of non-human life-forms or their saviour? Could human-induced global warming be a "good" thing? Do individual humans have a purpose? How should humans treat non-human life-forms? What does the future hold for the planet Earth? In this book philosophical and theological themes are sympathetically interwoven with themes relating to the environmental crisis. In the first part of the book the author presents a view of the world in which the human species is special (humans are not just another species of animal). In the second part of the book he urges humanity to take very seriously the danger that we face from global warming. Despite this immense danger he suggests that human-induced global warming is part of what makes the human species special. In the third part of the book the author explains how the issues of individual human purpose, beauty, and our connections to the other life-forms on the planet, are related to the specialness of the human species. He contends that if one shares this vision of the nature of our relationship with the world around us then one is more likely to have a healthy and satisfying life. The main conclusion that the author reaches is that the human species needs to take radical action, of a most unexpected kind, if it is to minimise the suffering caused by global warming. If he is right, then this is a book of immense importance. CONTENTS Preface Introduction 1 A sense of specialness 2 Does the human species have a unique attribute? 3 Does the human species have a purpose? 4 Is the human species special? 5 Reflections on the environmental crisis 6 Do individual humans have a purpose? 7 Seeing the universe as beautiful 8 Respect for all life-forms 9 Conclusion Introduction to the appendices A Human nature, cosmic evolution and modernity in Hölderlin B How much of man is natural? EXCERPTS "According to this currently popular view if the human species were to become extinct the rest of the species on the planet would be saved from our destructive influence. The advocates of this view believe that a couple of millennia after the extinction of the human species the biological diversity of the Earth would be vastly higher; life would supposedly be flourishing in the absence of the destructive humans. This view is grounded in what has happened in the past. In the past when there have been mass extinctions of life on Earth it has been the case that after a long period of time life has recovered; after a long enough period of time the biological diversity of the Earth has become just as rich as it was before the mass extinction. However, as I am sure you will appreciate, one cannot always use the past as a guide to the future." "If the human species were solely to engage in "traditional" responses to human-induced global warming - reuse of resources, recycling, building sea defences, renewable energy technologies - the danger is that this could lead to unnecessary suffering and a plethora of other avoidable deleterious effects." Neil Paul Cummins has a first-class honours degree in Environmental Studies, an MA in Philosophy (distinction), a PhD in Philosophy, and a BA in Economics. He has also won an international philosophical writing competition.