The Uses of Disaster

brian on 2005.09.09
at 11:08 pm

The Uses of Disaster An outstanding piece on the greatness of human nature after a disaster… and the general failure of imposed authority.

Posted on Friday, September 9, 2005. This essay on the relationship between disasters, authority, and our understanding of human nature went to press as Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. The excerpt below is followed by a postscript, available only on the Web, that specifically addresses the disaster in New Orleans. Originally from a forthcoming issue of Harper’s Magazine, October 2005. By Rebecca Solnit.

Posted in: Nature