The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch

The thirteen chapter book starts off explaining how humanity and civilization works and has come to be and how this could possibly be altered in the event of worldwide disaster — such as avian flu. Leaving us with the essential question of what knowledge would we need to rebuild civilization as we know it, which Dartnell answers by looking at the history of science and technology.

Dartnell explains and realistically details a 'grace period' in which survivors can salvage food, materials and tools from the ruins of today's society. However, after a certain point this grace period would end, and humanity would have to produce their own food, make their own tools, practice hygiene and fight infection to maintain health, and develop energy stores for a new society to survive the aftermath.

The book covers topics like agriculture, food and clothing, substances, medicine, and transport. Darnell points out that applying the scientific method to basic knowledge will enable an advanced technological society to reappear within several generations. Along with giving the history of scientific invention and how that applies to humans were they to recreate that, the book also offers anecdotal bits of information in the form of endnotes. Giving facts such as how carrots were originally white but grown orange in honour of the Dutch royal family, and how onions are the leaves of the onion plant.[1]

This is the third book written by astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell, his first book, Life in the Universe: A Beginner's Guide, was published in 2007. His second book, an illustrated children's book called My Tourist's Guide to the Solar System and Beyond, was published in 2012. After achieving a first class degree in Biology from the University of Oxford, he went on to complete a PhD in the field of astrobiology from the University College London.[10]

• Open Source Ecology
• Long Now Foundation

• Official website