Edward Tenner Why Things Bite Back Summary

Edward Tenner, in his interesting and enlightening work of Why Things Bite Back, paints a portrait of a scientific law in a way we can understand and relate with. Not only is it true in an abstract way that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, but in our lives and on the plane we live in, the same is also true. He gives us insight as to how many of the scientific and technological advances we, as humans, have made throughout the years “bite” us back with that reaction. Many advances made throughout the years have their reactions revealed, while many have not yet played out, but Tenner leaves us in no state of uncertainty as to how it is likely to all play out in the end, with the stability of that ever present equal
In our own country alone, one can begin with the advances in shipbuilding and travel that brought colonists to our shores. The advances certainly brought people to a new land, but many faced death and disease along the way and were forced to use technology even more in an effort to remain alive (Marcus 3). In a “harsh, antagonistic environment”, the new residents of American were forced to use their latest technological advances to survive, nearly devastating the natural resources of this land (4). The near loss of the master-apprentice system in the new world brought lesser skilled individuals into play in the reshaping of the future, bringing up the interesting question of “was it the technology that caused the ‘biting back’ or was it the uninformed nature of the manner in which it was
Are the chemicals and other contaminants released into our drinking water or the millions of dollars spent on (frequently) petroleum guzzling inventions such as aerators, leaf blowers and large rider mowers an allowable trade off? That too, is still playing out, but the answer will likely be a resounding “no”. Genetically modified agriculture, largely at risk for complete devastation by insect or disease, (300) stands as one of the advancements we will likely find troublesome in our future, as