The Great Planetary Transition

For four billion years, evolution has repeatedly transformed Earth by bringing smaller parts together into larger, more capable wholes-from cells to complex organisms, from ant colonies to human civilizations. Each great transition unlocked new possibilities, but only after overcoming powerful forces of conflict and competition. Now another transition may be underway. As humanity and our increasingly intelligent machines reshape the planet, we face a choice. We can continue a path toward environmental decline, geopolitical instability, and technologies that outpace our wisdom, or we can build a civilization capable of thriving within Earth's limits while preserving freedom, creativity, and the richness of life. Blending evolutionary biology, history, anthropology, and the rise of artificial intelligence, The Great Planetary Transition reveals the deep patterns that have shaped life's greatest leaps and asks whether they can guide our own. This is the story of how we arrived at one of the most consequential moments in Earth's history-and of the extraordinary future that remains possible if we choose it wisely.