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Bradie Mathews
Capstone Seminar - BBST460
Book Review on The Privileged Planet
The Privileged Planet, written by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards, is a brilliant work that
proposes to prove that our place in the universe is the most ideal for universal observation. Not only does
our planet meet the impossibly long lists of conditions necessary for intelligent life to exist, which the
Drake equation can better understand, but all of those conditions also contribute to the perfect visibility of
the cosmos (Gonzalez and Richards, 287, 338). Additionally, today’s intelligent creatures should be
equipped with the rational capacity to be perfect observers. Within The Privileged Planet, Gonzalez and
Richards present an overwhelming amount of geographical, mechanical, and astronomical data used to
prove their argument. Beginning with local observations and moving toward extraterrestrial evidence, the
two authors shared the same captivating knowledge that drew them into raw calculations and
interrelationships within the cosmos.
I was most mesmerized by how our earth tells us its autobiography. The earth whispers of its past
achievements and trauma like the tree rings tell the tree’s life story. The three significant ways the earth
keeps explicitly the effects of the years passing are by the frozen layers, the geological cycles, and their
interrelatedness. First, ice cores in the polar regions trap the tiniest particles, locking them in time. Natural
excretions and microparticles like dust fall and produce layers on the earth. These layers explain a lot
about what kind of creatures roamed on that layer, what the surrounding environment was like and walked
that layer, and what greatly affected the earth then. In other words, the earth’s ice cores function as mud
that reveals previously traveled footprints of history. Secondly, the cyclical nature of the earth’s
geography allows for the economic recycling of all the various components, such as minerals,
carbon-based matter, and liquid water. The most captivating of these was that the hydrological cycle must
be finely tuned (Gonzalez and Richards, 40). If too much water evaporates, the major deposit settlements
containing life-dependent minerals will erode. If too little water evaporates, the remaining surface area of
dry land would be unsustainable for most vegetative life. The third captivating argument about the earth’s
geographical nature is the interdependence of all the natural cycles. From plate tectonics to the
hydrological cycle to the magnetic fields, the various components of the earth operate in deep harmony
with each other, relating within a negative feedback loop (Gonzalez and Richards, 54). For example, there
is an ecological need for earthquakes to be produced by the movement of plate tectonics. The constant
movement of the earth’s crust avoids the solidification by basaltic lava from the earth’s molten core and
magnetic field. Plate tectonics allows for the continuous presence of liquid water, and consequently, the
carbon and water cycles also affect the earth's core and plate tectonics (Gonzalez and Richards, 54). The
earth’s composition is ever-moving yet highly stable. The earth’s surface and atmosphere are so stable
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that technological advancement is possible (Gonzalez and Richards, 60). As a result, further exploration
and analysis of the surrounding universe is one of the fascinating factors of this privileged planet.
It is fascinating that “the conditions necessary for life do not include those necessary for vision,”
yet we can still see the stars (Gonzalez and Richards, 65). I was struck when I read Emerson’s quote, “If
the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore, and preserve for
many generations the remembrance of the city of God!”(Gonzalez and Richards, 65). This is where
observing science transcends into theology and philosophy for me. Alas, the nature of light entering the
earth’s atmosphere from the distant stars and the sun is fantastic. The earth’s atmospheric layers are dense
enough to filter out the most harmful energy waves on the electromagnetic spectrum (Gonzalez and
Richards, 67). However, our atmosphere is clear instead of forming cloudy permanent layers. The photons
from our sun are the perfect forms of energy to be received and used in the chemical reactions built into
the mechanics of plants and terrestrial life (Gonzalez and Richards, 67). Even the refraction of light on
reflective surfaces produces a lovely rainbow, which has no beneficial effect on life aside from beauty
(Gonzalez and Richards, 68). Furthermore, the evidence that is seen on the interstellar level is
jaw-dropping. From the fact that Earth revolves around the perfect star type to sustain the right amount of
energy to our position in the galactic spiral arms to the fact that we remain within the circumstellar
habitable zone of the sun, earth truly gets a front-row seat to the universal symphony (Gonzalez and
Richards, 6).
One of the book’s major strengths is the 14 objections posed to the authors during the creation of
their work (Gonzalez and Richards, 313). They impressively maneuver around these objections, providing
substantial counter-arguments that remain true to the core of their argument. This is not meant to be a
religious work but forces the reader to stand face-to-face with the question, “How could the universe not
be Intelligently designed?” This work was selected because of its sobering light on all creation. It leaves
the reader with a better understanding of the hidden patterns within the world and themselves,
consequently perfect for each other. The Roman poet Publius Ovidius “Ovid” Naso wonderfully
explained the nature of observing humanity when he said, “And while the other creatures on all fours look
downwards, the man was made to hold his head erect in majesty and see the sky, and raise his eyes to the
bright stars above” (Melville, 3). This planet is in such an advantageous location, so how could mankind
roam the earth with his head in the stars and not recognize the splendor of creation?
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Bibliography
Gonzalez, Guillermo, and Jay Wesley Richards. The Privileged Planet. Regnery Publishing, 2004.
Melville, A. D. Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Oxford Paperbacks, 1998.