3 Great Books By John Michael Greer

John Michael Greer is a neo-pagan American author who has established himself as an institution within the oil community. He is treasured by a number of loyal readers. He writes on the environment, religions and the future of the industrial society. Greer was born in a small-town suburb of Seattle called Bremerton in Washington, USA.  John used to be a shy and loner kid but he was quite bright. In 1998, he was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome which explained why he had poor social skills.

Throughout his writing career, Greer has written multiple books but here are some of his great works:

1. Dark Age America

‘Dark Age America’ highlights the legacy of extreme environmental degradation Americans are leaving for their descendants. The climate change has been threatening the human habitat in North America.  Greer in his book predicts that eventually, the western part of America will start resembling the Sahara Desert and the Gulf States will continue to become tropical. He used paleoclimate data to prove that.  Greer has taken history, the present and future to predict that America will collapse economically, culturally, politically and ecologically. Dark Age America is mostly doom and gloom but he has shown a ray of hope. John says if we change now, the climate will change and resources well regrow. Dark Age America is a good read for those who are concerned about of the future, saving the economy, culture, and ecology.

2. Ecotechnic Future

‘Ecotechnic Future’ does not explain why our civilization is headed towards a collapse or how we can prepare ourselves at individual or community level. The book challenges the assumptions held by mainstream thinkers regarding the evolution of human societies. For those of you who are worried about the future of the industrial society and peak oil, this book is must-read. It offers a comprehensive analysis on how we got ourselves to this situation and how we can prepare ourselves for a better future.

Greer says that our current economy needs to transition to the ecotechic society since resources are finite and the ability of Earth to adsorb waste products is limited.  He further argues that we need to respond to the changes and encourage people to peruse different ideas instead of formulating a detailed plan of action. He also admits that no plan is infallible and he invites his readers to dissent from his ideas to pursue some of their own.

3. Decline and Fall

‘Decline and Fall’, as the name suggests, takes a look at the decline of the global American empire and how our response to it is going to determine our future. Greer uses historical examples with groundbreaking original analysis to prove how America has backed itself into a corner in pursuit of its political and economic power.  He argues that the only constructive way forward for America is to renew its democratic institution.

Greer is one of the few writers who have the ability to use modern industrial civilization in historical context.

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