The Next Apocalypse: The Art and Science of Survival

by Chris Begley

Overview

In this insightful book, an underwater archaeologist and survival coach shows how understanding the collapse of civilizations can help us prepare for a troubled future.

Pandemic, climate change, or war: our era is ripe with the odor of doomsday. In movies, books, and more, our imaginations run wild with visions of dreadful, abandoned cities and returning to the land in a desperate attempt at survival.

In The Next Apocalypse, archaeologist Chris Begley argues that we completely misunderstand how disaster works. Examining past collapses of civilizations, such as the Maya and Rome, he argues that these breakdowns are actually less about cataclysmic destruction than they are about long processes of change. In short: it’s what happens after the initial uproar that matters. Some people abandon their homes and neighbors; others band together to start anew. As we anticipate our own fate, Begley tells us that it was communities, not lone heroes, who survived past apocalypses—and who will survive the next.

Fusing archaeology, survivalism, and social criticism, The Next Apocalypse is an essential read for anxious times.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541675285
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	11/16/2021
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,043,169
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Chris Begley is an underwater archaeologist, a wilderness survival instructor, and an anthropology professor. He has a doctorate from the University of Chicago, was a Fulbright scholar to El Salvador, and is a National Geographic Explorer. He has worked in North, Central, and South America and around the Mediterranean. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
 

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

Introduction 5

Part I The Past: Archaeology of the Apocalypse 9

Chapter 1 When Things Fall Apart 17

Chapter 2 Why Things Fall Apart 41

Chapter 3 How Things Fall Apart 63

Part II The Present: Envisioning the Apocalypse 85

Chapter 4 Apocalyptic Fantasies 93

Chapter 5 Apocalyptic Fears 121

Chapter 6 Reading and Writing the Apocalypse 141

Part III The Future: The Next Apocalypse 153

Chapter 7 Likely Scenarios 157

Chapter 8 Who Survives and Why 175

Conclusion 225

Acknowledgments 235

Bibliography 237

Notes 249

Index 265

Editorial Reviews

10/18/2021

Archaeologist and survivalist Begley debuts with an insightful look at the history of natural and man-made disasters and how people have survived them. Seeking guidance for dealing with climate change, pandemics, and other future threats, Begley examines how ancient Romans, Mayans, and Indigenous tribes in North America responded to catastrophes. In many cases, Begley notes, cataclysmic events caused a shift from urban to rural settings, and societies with “greater flexibility and adaptability in the scale and location of centralized leadership” were better equipped for survival than more rigid civilizations. He investigates the potential causes, including “drought, deforestation, warfare, and the increasing cost of maintaining the elites,” that caused a decline in Mayan civilization in the ninth century, and describes how Indigenous people in North America formed “multi-tribal villages” to survive the onslaught of European settlers and their diseases in the 17th and 18th centuries. Begley stresses the need to adapt to changing circumstances and the loss of familiar comforts, and the importance of “the ability to recognize competence and the ability to evaluate data and information.” Extensively researched and evenhanded, this is a valuable resource for preparing for the next crisis. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

[In] Chris Begley’s The Next Apocalypse: The Art & Science of Survival (Basic Books), Begley, a professor of anthropology [and] survival coach, looks at what happened with previous doomed civilisations – including the Maya, the Roman Empire, and Native American societies – to evaluate what can help us in a future collapse.”—The Independent

“Lively and personal—a book for the airport lounge…  The apocalypse is here, it’s just not evenly distributed... Yet Begley has comfort to offer. Past apocalypses have not been a case of everything, everywhere, all at once. … Begley offers tips…, most of them reassuringly simple."—New York Review of Books

“Begley digs into cultural apocalyptic fantasies (as reflected in TV, movies, books, and survivalist subcultures) to see how such concepts compare to actual apocalyptic events. This sociological and scientific exploration is a quiet surprise of a book that will make readers question assumptions about civilizational collapse and apocalypses in general… Full of witty anecdotes about survivalism and prepper culture, Begley’s book is an absolute joy to read and a hidden gem.”
 —Library Journal

“An insightful look at the history of natural and man-made disasters and how people have survived them… Extensively researched and evenhanded, this is a valuable resource for preparing for the next crisis.”
 —Publishers Weekly

“an insightful overview of the fantasies and realities of catastrophes . . . solid popular science.”—Kirkus

“Begley expertly explains how a doomsday can occur (and includes suggestions on short term survival) but goes easy on the doom, preferring knowledge and preparation over fear and panic.”—Booklist

“A calm, practical and fascinating look at the worst 'what if' scenario.”
 —Tristan Gooley

From the Publisher

10/15/2021

Begley, an archeologist, anthropologist, and wilderness survival teacher, analyzes how social paradigms of collapse match up with selected historical examples. Using the end of the Mayan civilization and the end of the Western Roman Empire as primary examples, Begley digs into cultural apocalyptic fantasies (as reflected in TV, movies, books, and survivalist subcultures) to see how such concepts compare to actual apocalyptic events. This sociological and scientific exploration is a quiet surprise of a book that will make readers question assumptions about civilizational collapse and apocalypses in general. Begley's analysis and logical generalities are a refreshing antidote to much of the hype that surrounds the topic. Finally, Begley offers some expert advice about what future apocalyptic events might be like and how humans might survive. The book's strength comes not only from Begley's expertise but also his ability to turn counterintuitive arguments into a thought-provoking reflection on the subject. VERDICT Full of witty anecdotes about survivalism and prepper culture, Begley's book is an absolute joy to read and a hidden gem. Pass along to readers who enjoyed Bradley Garrett's Bunker: Building for the End Times.—Laura Hiatt, Fort Collins, CO

Library Journal

2021-09-21
A wilderness survival instructor looks at past catastrophes to inform our responses to future ones.

Archaeologists study how cultures and civilizations fall, and Begley, an underwater archaeologist and anthropology professor, begins with three once-flourishing civilizations that collapsed: “the Classic Maya civilization in Central America and Mexico, the Western Roman Empire around the Mediterranean, and the many Native American societies in eastern North America after the arrival of European colonizers.” Disease wiped out 90% of North American tribes, jungles teem with abandoned Maya cities and monuments, and the “decline and fall” of Rome remains a staple of literature and “the most discussed decline globally.” Yet, unlike fictional apocalypses portrayed in countless books and movies, these were not sudden events. Maya culture waxed and waned for centuries, and few Romans understood the forces that were leading to their eventual fall. Thankfully, Native Americans have worked for centuries to maintain what they can of their culture. Apocalypses in Hollywood—and in the minds of doomsday preppers—destroy civilization, leaving a few groups behind, mostly heroic, well-armed men who fend off unruly mobs, usually from cities and thus unable to take care of themselves. Begley points out that this is not how humans respond to disasters in real life. Social breakdown is fleeting, and people “rise to the occasion.” The author emphasizes that the most important skill for the future is not self-defense but the ability to cooperate. After an insightful overview of the fantasies and realities of catastrophes, the author describes what to do if you get lost in the wilderness: These are the lessons he teaches in his survival course. They have little to do with the book’s major theme but make entertaining and educative reading: Staying warm, dry, and hydrated must be the first priorities. While food is necessary, you can survive without it for a few days.

Solid pop-science analysis of apocalypses and survival.

Kirkus Reviews