This text is a parable on extinction and pollution and how they can be measured. In Inanimate Species, Joana Moll expresses extinction and pollution[1] quite literally in terms of analogy: the encroachment of microchips is compared to the extinction of insects. The comparison between these two visually similar[2] groups of beings is a measure of artificiality of pollution, as well as of inherent inconsistencies in methods of measurement. The attempt to taxonomize microchips following the rules of taxonomy for living organisms – an already artificial method applied to nature – suggests a possible way of forging an agreement on shared measures and values.
