The last two nonfiction books I've read go strangely hand in hand. The first one, Thomas Ligotti's "The Conspiracy Against The Human Race" has as its main premise the idea that consciousness is a curse, and something not to be desired. Ligotti feels that humanity should voluntarily end its existence by no longer breeding. It's a fascinating book, and reads very much like one of his works of supernatural fiction. This was my introduction to pessimist philosophy, and while, for the most part, I don't agree with it, I found the book interesting and very well written (like everything else he has done). For instance, I had no idea there was a pessimist philosophy movement, no doubt, as Ligotti points out, because the pessimists don't get as much press as the optimists.

Strangely enough, the next book I read, Alan Weisman's "The World Without Us" tackles the question of what will happen to the mess we leave behind after we go. Within its pages, there is even brief mention of a group called the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, whose members advocate the same thing Ligotti does, if for slightly different reasons. It makes me wonder if Ligotti is a member of the movement, or if the horror writer in him would be more at home with the Church of Euthanasia, whose members advocate, among other things, cannibalism (I haven't checked, but Weisman mentions that their website has a guide for butchering human carcasses, plus a recipe for barbeque sauce). If we did indeed stop breeding, or at least slowed it down, life would definitely be better for those among the decreased future population. If we keep breeding with carelessness, eventually our population will be so out of balance with the natural order of things that nature will balance it for us, which as any biologist will you, means disease and famine. Not to mention increased warfare over progressively dwindling resources.

Both books are fascinating, and well worth the time and effort taken to read them.

Currently listening to: Tor Lundvall "Under the Shadows of Trees"