“We are as gods and might as well get good at it.”
These are the opening lines that radical thinker, environmentalist, and technologist Stewart Brand wrote for The Whole Earth Catalog. His thesis—that humans should use our god-like powers to build a better way to live—is at the core of his extraordinary life.
At key historical moments in the 20th century, Stewart Brand was behind the scenes shaping things. As founding editor of Wired Magazine Kevin Kelly says, “Stewart has a Forest Gump-like superpower—he can sense where the future is and be there.” From acid tests to space odysseys to modern environmentalism to social networks and open source technology, Stewart was there early on - posing the framing questions, marching in the streets, running the camera, gathering the experts, and then, before the scene got boring, running out the back door.
Stewart has never shied away from controversy. Some of his ideas have drawn fire and accusations of betrayal from his former allies, but Stewart isn’t afraid of a fight. Now in his 80’s, he looks to leave a legacy for the future with his Long Now Foundation, which urges humans to think beyond our limited lifespans and consider the longer ecological time frames of our epoch.
He’s also trying to bring back the woolly mammoth.
WE ARE AS GODS is also available as an Audible Original eight-episode audio documentary series, supported by the Sloan Foundation. Using never before heard archival material, original music, and interviews with some of the most interesting thought-leaders of our era, we take a deep dive into Stewart’s life and ideas, and how they have shaped our century.
