<aside> ◯
Genesis statement.
The Earth Logs are a chronological record of human civilization written during the lifetime of the author.
These entries document the world as it was experienced at the time they were written — its science, societies, conflicts, discoveries, and the everyday life of our species.
Each entry is permanently recorded on a blockchain so that the record may survive beyond the lifetime of the author and, perhaps, beyond the civilization that created it.
The purpose of these logs is to leave an honest account of humanity for any future reader who may encounter them.
</aside>
<aside> ◐
The Earth Log Oath.
In writing the Earth Logs, I commit to recording events and ideas as honestly as I can understand them at the time they occur.
I will distinguish between observation, interpretation, and speculation whenever possible.
I will not alter earlier entries once they are recorded, but I will acknowledge errors and update my understanding in later logs.
My purpose is not to create propaganda or mythology, but to leave an honest record of human life during my time.
</aside>
If you are reading this, it means that something of our civilization survived long enough for our voice to reach you.
My name is Marquez. I am a member of a species that calls itself human. We live on a small planet named Earth, which orbits a star known to us as the Sun.
Our star is one of hundreds of billions inside a galaxy we call the Milky Way. Humans have only recently come to understand how vast the universe is, and how small our world is within it.
I am writing these logs during my lifetime to record what it is like to live as a human in this moment of history.
Our species has reached an extraordinary point in its development. We have discovered many of the laws that govern the universe. We have built machines that can think, communicate instantly across the planet, and travel beyond our world. At the same time, we have created technologies powerful enough to destroy much of life on Earth. Currently, parts of our world are at war, and the danger exists that these conflicts could expand and draw much of the world into them.
The future of our civilization is uncertain. Some believe humanity stands on the threshold of an age of unprecedented prosperity and discovery. Others fear that the same technologies that give us power may also threaten our survival.
I do not know which of these possibilities will come to pass.
For this reason I have begun recording these logs.
Some entries will describe events occurring in the world around me. Others will explore the history of our species, the knowledge we have accumulated, and the questions that still remain unanswered.
I write these entries partly for readers who live in my own time, who may find in them a clearer understanding of the world we inhabit. I also write them as a way for me to better understand myself, my species, and the world and universe we are part of.
But I also write them for readers who may exist long after my era — and perhaps after my species itself has vanished.
If you are reading these words long after humanity has passed from Earth, then these entries are a small fragment of the story of the civilization that once produced them.
This is the first record.
More will follow.