CHAPTER 9: Conclusion: Earthrise

Rachel Carson alerted the world to the potential dangers of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in 1962 by blurring fact with fiction in her now-infamous book, Silent Spring. We have learned in this book that people who spread chemical conspiracies to garner support for their own political fight play the role of the mentor in Vogler's Hero's Journey. I argue that this is only possible because the seat has been left vacant by chemists unwilling to engage in public outreach, as has been done so successfully by physical scientists such as Brian Cox and biological scientists such as David Attenborough.