Uncommon Sense

"The premise behind Uncommon Sense is the biggest question in human history: Ingenious as our species may be, is it also wise enough to do what it will take to keep our civilization viable, before it's too late? Peter Seidel lays out all that ails the earth in this make-or-break century and leaves it to us to decide whether our saga continues, or ends all too soon."

-Alan Weisman, author of Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? and The World Without Us 

"Many years of thought, practical work, and reflection are distilled in Peter Seidel's careful analysis and urgent call to action. The book is wide-ranging and accessible to the public, yet without any 'dumbing down.' Highly recommended."

-Herman Daly, one of the founders of the field of ecological economics, and author of Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development

"Uncommon Sense lays out how the human brain has both brought us to dizzying heights of technology and accomplishment and will cause our crashing demise through narcissism, violence, and ecological destruction. Its greatest contribution, however, is the vision it offers for our salvation through additional yet untapped powers of the human brain, from ecofeminism to ecotopian sci-fi literature to the Genuine Progress Indicator."

-Kirsten Stade, Advocacy Director, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)

"The author has packed this book with wisdom and insight. It highlights substantial flaws in current institutions, misguided cultural beliefs, and dangerous psychological biases, all of which hold us back from reversing the current trends toward self-destruction."

-Mathis Wackernagel, co-creator of the Ecological Footprint and President of the Global Footprint Network

"Peter Seidel presents a masterful tour de force in connecting the dots on how human nature is destroying Earth's nature. His topics span human instincts such as time perception and human-constructed systems in business, economics, education, politics, and religion. He makes the case that business as usual must change. Seidel states: 'We must do things differently; very differently.' The world needs to take action to make a course correction to avoid a collective planetary Titanic, and to do so, big-picture, long-term planning will be needed."

-Janine Finnell, Executive Director of Leaders in Energy

"We humans, making so many unsustainable choices every day, are in need of serious therapy. Uncommon Sense provides that therapy, boldly highlighting our failings and our potential, so that we may correct the former and reach the latter."

-Dave Gardner, co-host of the GrowthBusters podcast