Ian Lowe; Penguin Books, 2010; 272 pp;
A Voice of Reason is the latest book by renowned scientist and conservationist, Professor Ian Lowe. The book is a collection of selected writings from the past 20 years, organised around the key themes of 'Science, technology and the environment', 'Economics and politics', 'Culture and health', and 'Education'.
Lowe notes at the outset that he resisted the urge to substantially edit and change his works, which gives the book a 'time capsule' feel. The pieces included are a mixture of articles, book chapters, opinion pieces and conference presentations. They range from ominous observations about the future of the planet, through to light-hearted pieces about cricket and the inappropriateness of wearing suits in Australian summers. Lowe hand-picked this particular selection of writings to 'tell a consistent story about the human condition in 21st century Australia and the ways we can work to shape a better future' (p 8). Despite the seemingly disparate range of topics canvassed, he manages to do just this.