Maggie Appleton - Growing a Human: The First 30 Weeks

2025-01-06

There is a lot to like in this essay that starts describing a very personal experience and continues with reflections that go deep into anthropology and philosophy territory.

The attempted simplification of the world into these two clear categories – natural and unnatural – is both false, and a source of endless confusion, conflict, and poorly made decisions.

That’s because “nature” and “culture” are not two fixed, distinct, and absolute types we can sort everything into; there’s no clear-cut set of safe, pure things unmarked by human influence, and another of dangerous, artificial things tainted by us. Human and non-human things are always entangled and shaped by one another.

It's also great to see a much needed reminder of the all the progress we've done as a species.

And all I can feel is shocking, overwhelming gratitude to be pregnant at this point in history.