The World With Out Us: Summary

Iván Darío JiménezSubsections 1 and 2

A Lingering Scent of Eden • Weisman introduces his book by describing the story a single

forest in Europe that survived centuries of wars and political changes. Still, upon the arrival of democracy, that sanctuary preserved by monarchs and dictators alike has begun to wane for its boundaries grow ever smaller. Although largely untouched, a single human landmark remains, a remnant of the iron curtain: a fence that has divided the forest’s fauna in two and risks causing its extinction. Despite the desperate attempts by conservationists to maintain it, governments, in need of its resources, continue to cut its wealth. Even, as the rural Europe moves to city and the forest reclaims those farmlands, that reservoir of European biodiversity continues to shrink.

Unbuilding Our home

• Then, the author takes us to a more familiar environment: a suburban home. We soon realize that a place so recently claim from nature will be one of the first to return to it after we are gone. The inevitable decay of wood, metal and all the components of a home are revealed by the day to day repairs we must do in. Weisman shows how the leaks, molds and cracks would eventually demolish the house except for a few materials that will be buried in as the layers of biological matter burry it.

The City Without Us

• Most reasonable people would agree that New York, the epitome of metropolis, will be the most resistant to the passage of time. A landscape dominated by manmade structures with the exception of the clearly delimited central park should last for centuries of nature’s siege. Still, this assumption crumbles as the city’s weaknesses are revealed. The endless streams of water that are pumped out of it every day and the endless maintenance of its parks prove that, despite their orderly appearance, an army is required for its upkeep.

The City Without Us

• With out us, the newest structures would crumble as their very base sinks into the flooded land. Asphalt would crack with season leaving space for nature to grow and as the centuries pass, only the oldest, more resilient buildings will survive. Those structures made before we could have exact calculations of efficiencies were indivertibly created to last but only for a millennium.

The Idea• Ultimately, this first quarter has a clear point: nature can

easily revert the current status quo. With out us, the might of nature would reclaim our cities and greatest structures. Even if some of the forces we have set in motion like global warming and the introduction of foreign species to a different land will not stop in our absence, the once gridded landscapes will be reconquered by nature and few of our changes will remain. In the end, only lines of sediment in the soil will testify to our presence for even the most durable inventions of man, must decay and vanish under the unrelenting force of nature.

The African Paradox• Through out this chapter Weisman argues that humanity’s

presence outside of Africa had catastrophic effects for the world’s diversity, especially, for megafauna by re-enacting humanity’s voyage through out the world. Africa is the only continent that preserved its mammals because these evolved alongside humans. With out us, the diminishing African species would reconquer their lost territories, restore the lost fauna and even make a replacement for us. Weisman complicates matters further when he asks: “would curiosity and sheer narcissistic delight in their unfolding powers eventually push them (our replacement) and their planet to the brink too?”(87) In other words, he argues against humanity’s unnatural actions throughout history by emphasizing the irresponsible use of our great powers.

What Falls Apart and What Lasts• In this section Weisman corroborates his claims by showing an

example of an urban area abandoned by man. Cyprus, a small Island in the Mediterranean underwent a dramatic conflict that resulted in an abandoned Varosha. This city used to showcase many buildings and tourist attractions that nature consumed in a matter of decades leaving only its decadent remains. In juxtaposition, the underground city of Derinkuyu will preserve the testimonies of humanity’s existence . To support this, Weisman states, “when we are long gone, it is the underground cities built for protection that will defend humanity’s memory.”(111) The author’s point is that although our modern architecture seems long-lasting, these ancient and natural structures will outlast even humanity’s most monumental cities.