We Are As Gods

The many sides of Stewart Brand

WE ARE AS GODS offers a deep dive into the many sides of Stewart Brand—creator of The Whole Earth Catalog, an influential member of Ken Kesey’s “The Merry Pranksters,” and founder of the modern environmental movement. Brand’s approach to his work and life influenced many, including SteveJobs, who have gone on to shape our modern world. Now in his 80’s, he looks to leave a legacy for the long-term future with his efforts to rewild ecosystems by resurrecting extinct species. The person who coined this epochal phrase is now under fire from former allies who believe he’s gone too far, but Brand won’t be easily deterred.

Stewart has been at the center of some of the most influential movements of the last century: he was organizing “acid tests” with Ken Kesey; his LSD trip inspired the photograph that helped catalyze the modern environmental movement; he organized the first Hackers Conference; and he created the revolutionary do-it-yourself publication The WholeEarth Catalog, which Steve Jobs famously called “Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google existed.” He has a showman’s uncanny ability to be at the center of cultural and technological shifts. Today, heis channeling his considerable energy into one of his most ambitious projects yet: a new form of wildlife conservation using biotechnology called de-extinction.