The Weather in the Imagination"The weather has always been a topic of conversation; it is probably the most common dialogue between human beings. We often fear the weather, yet out apparent dread of it is puzzling, since we generally adapt to it remarkably well. The Weather in the Imagination investigates the theories, scenarios and psychoses caused by climate. These fall into three main categories: anthropological and psychological; historical; and catastrophic. The weather has long served as a means of explaining human diversity: other people are different because they live under different skies. Climate has also been used to explain the dynamic of the historical process, the rise of certain civilizations and the stagnation and regression of others. Catastrophe is also invoked in theories of the weather: what could destroy a civilization - or arouse the fear of humanity's total extinction - more effectively than a climatic disaster? The prototype of this kind of upheaval is the pre-biblical Flood, one of the most gripping and influential myths the human imagination has ever produced. Lucian Boia does not take sides in the current debates about climate; he does not exaggerate or play down global warming and its consequences, or try to forecast the weather of the future. What he does tell is a story that runs parallel with the 'true' story of climate and its future: the story of a human imagination that has been stimulated, baffled, infuriated and, from time to time, terrified by the weather." -- Blackwells. |
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Africa already Angot atmosphere become believed biblical biblical Flood Black Sea Bodin Camille Flammarion causes Central Asia centre chapter climate change climate history climatic conditions climatic excesses climatic interpretation cold comet completely continued cosmic countries cultural degree disasters diversity drought Dubos Earth eighteenth century El Niņo emissions environment environmental Europe European existence explained extreme factors favourable French future geographical glaciers global temperature global warming Greeks greenhouse effect Greenland heat Hippocrates historians Hume Ibid Ibn Khaldun ideological imagination increase inhabitants Jean Bodin latitude less Little Ice Age live Lomborg medieval warm period Mediterranean meteorological metres modern Montesquieu Moreover nations nature nineteenth century Niņo northern nuclear Paris particularly period phenomena philosopher physical planet political progress rain rainfall regions rise Rodulfus Glaber scenarios scientific scientists sea levels seemed social society technological civilization temperate theory tion universal flood variations warmer weather Western winter zones