About the book
In ancient times fire was a source of fear and fascination. Countless myths and stories were told and written in which fire was attributed to God or the gods. In that way, fire was made to appear a powerful tool. When modern man, aided by science and technology, was able to tame fire, all of his problems seemed to have been remedied: the control of fire and combustion enabled freedom and progress. What did we still need to worry about? Like a boomerang, that carelessness has now flown back into our face: the large-scale use of fossil fuels is damaging humanity and the environment’s health.
In Fire, Ignaas Devisch develops a new idea, inspired by such thinkers as Peter Sloterdijk and Bruno Latour, about fire’s place in our world. If we plan on maintaining our quality of life, we will need a new source of energy that supports our freedom and wellbeing without destroying the planet and ourselves. The largest fireball in our galaxy – the sun – has this potential. But are we capable of embracing heliocentrism?