Lecture Abstract:

The subtitle of the first volume of Fernand Braudel’s magisterial three-volume Civilization and Capitalism notes the “Limits of the Possible” in the early modern world. While societies that subsequently transformed their economies through industrialization escaped the limits of the possible, science has made clear over the past half-century that this escape was only temporary. People across the globe face the formidable challenge of learning to live within the limits of the possible imposed by our physical environment. This talk considers the potential relevance of some early modern economic and environmental sensibilities to our contemporary conditions.