The Next Apocalypse
The Art and Science of Survival
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
In this insightful book, an underwater archaeologist and survival coach shows how understanding the collapse of civilizations can help us prepare for a troubled future.
Pandemic, climate change, or war: our era is ripe with the odor of doomsday. In movies, books, and more, our imaginations run wild with visions of dreadful, abandoned cities and returning to the land in a desperate attempt at survival.
In The Next Apocalypse, archaeologist Chris Begley argues that we completely misunderstand how disaster works. Examining past collapses of civilizations, such as the Maya and Rome, he argues that these breakdowns are actually less about cataclysmic destruction than they are about long processes of change. In short: it’s what happens after the initial uproar that matters. Some people abandon their homes and neighbors; others band together to start anew. As we anticipate our own fate, Begley tells us that it was communities, not lone heroes, who survived past apocalypses—and who will survive the next.
Fusing archaeology, survivalism, and social criticism, The Next Apocalypse is an essential read for anxious times.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Archaeologist and survivalist Begley debuts with an insightful look at the history of natural and man-made disasters and how people have survived them. Seeking guidance for dealing with climate change, pandemics, and other future threats, Begley examines how ancient Romans, Mayans, and Indigenous tribes in North America responded to catastrophes. In many cases, Begley notes, cataclysmic events caused a shift from urban to rural settings, and societies with "greater flexibility and adaptability in the scale and location of centralized leadership" were better equipped for survival than more rigid civilizations. He investigates the potential causes, including "drought, deforestation, warfare, and the increasing cost of maintaining the elites," that caused a decline in Mayan civilization in the ninth century, and describes how Indigenous people in North America formed "multi-tribal villages" to survive the onslaught of European settlers and their diseases in the 17th and 18th centuries. Begley stresses the need to adapt to changing circumstances and the loss of familiar comforts, and the importance of "the ability to recognize competence and the ability to evaluate data and information." Extensively researched and evenhanded, this is a valuable resource for preparing for the next crisis.
