Cal Flyn

Award-winning Scottish author and journalist who writes creative nonfiction, literary criticism, and long-form journalism. She is deputy editor of Five Books and author of The Savage Landscape: How We Made the Wilderness.

Wilderness Is a Cultural Idea, Not Land Untouched by People

In *The Savage Landscape*, writer Cal Flyn argues that wilderness is not land untouched by people but a contested idea shaped by history, culture and power. Speaking with Russ Roberts, she examines how that idea influences conservation and predator reintroduction, including who gains from protected land and who bears its costs. Flyn also contends that the enduring appeal of wild places lies less in an escape from humanity than in encounters with fear, beauty and limits on human control.

Hoover InstitutionJul 27, 202613 min read