When Carl O. Sauer and William Thomas began planning the “Man’s Role in Changing the Face of the Earth” conference, they initially envisioned it as being a celebration of the 19th century conservationist George Perkins Marsh. As such, it seemed obvious to Sauer and Thomas that they could not put on a “Marsh Festival” without inviting the man they credited with re-discovering Marsh, namely: the social critic Lewis Mumford.
Accepting the offer to help organize the event, and to be one of its three co-chairs, Mumford was involved in drafting lists of invitees and commenting on the shape and general tone of the conference. In particular, Mumford pushed his fellow organizers to invite speakers who would emphasize the question of ethical responsibility, who would consider the risk of irreversible technological damage to the natural world, and – most importantly – who would raise the question as to whether or not the urge to control the Earth had in the end been self-defeating. An active participant in the conference’s discussions, Mumford chaired the “Prospect” section of the conference, and was given the honor of delivering the event’s closing comment. An honor Mumford used to darkly muse “I would say that man’s future seems black, though perhaps a shade lighter that it was five years ago.”
Drawing upon original archival research conducted using the Wenner-Gren Foundation Archives and the Lewis Mumford Papers, this paper will consider Mumford’s role in organizing the “Man’s Role” event, and on how the conference fits into Mumford’s oeuvre.
