In this book, Michel Serres addresses nothing less than the foundation of a philosophical ecology: a new relationship with nature. The prevailing representation of history abstracts from the intrinsic existence of nature – it is at best mere decoration in which the supposedly essential events unfold, or an amorphous object of violent appropriation. The world-historical novelty today is that nature, the planet Earth, is striking back: Ensnared in our all-too-human history, we have barely noticed that through our blind devastations of nature, an adversary has emerged that threatens all of humanity with death. In light of this potential catastrophe, Serres advocates for a new relationship between the two powers: just as the social contract once put an end to the struggle of all against all and established human history, so should...