New Books Network
Episode: Edward McPherson, "Look Out: The Delight and Danger of Taking the Long View" (Astra House, 2025)
Date: December 13, 2025
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Edward McPherson

Overview

This episode centers on Edward McPherson's latest book, Look Out: The Delight and Danger of Taking the Long View. McPherson and host Miranda Melcher explore the cultural, historical, and technological dimensions of the human desire to gain a "long view"—literally and metaphorically. The conversation weaves through topics ranging from 19th-century bird’s-eye maps, the overview effect experienced by astronauts, the ethics of modern surveillance, drone warfare, and the impact of the pandemic on how we see and represent distance. The episode is a nuanced exploration of both the wonders and perils that arise when we seek to look out—across space, time, and perspective.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis of the Book and McPherson’s Approach

[02:56-06:52]

• McPherson describes himself as a writer and creative writing professor whose books come together "a little haphazardly" via obsession with a theme.
• Look Out is described as a "cultural history of the aerial view," embracing topics from drone warfare to ancient mapping, from AI to outer space.
• His research method is largely interest-driven: “I just try to keep it simple and follow my interest without questioning why....it's really only by writing that I can articulate how I think and feel about a topic.” (McPherson, 05:36)
• The process involves lengthy, sometimes obsessive dives into individual topics, “messy, inefficient and probably rather insufferable to the loved ones in my life. But that's the method that works for me.” (05:36)

2. Structure of the Book: Before, Then, Beyond

[07:32-09:35]

• Book divided into three parts:
  • Before: 4 billion years ago to 2019
  • Then: Pandemic era (2020–2022)
  • Beyond: 2022 to “infinity”
• The structure is both “playfully defined” and reflective of the timelines in which McPherson conducted his research.
• The organization “nods to the kind of storytelling it takes to make sense of the chaotic day to day, these narratives we impose on reality.”
• Multiple short sections with evocative titles and epigraphs serve to "disjoint the narrative in a helpful way... highlight the artifice... to give the reader a little more room to resist or look around or make connections on their own.” (08:58)

3. 19th-century Bird’s-Eye View Maps & the Aerial Imagination

[09:35-16:08]

• Bird's-eye view maps became a widespread phenomenon in 19th-century America, reflecting the cultural mania for perspective “from above.”
• Despite the aerial viewpoint, these maps were created by artists using classical perspective, surveying towns on foot rather than by flight.
• McPherson discusses both the immigrant creators of these maps and the socio-political implications—maps served civic pride and were also “part advertisement designed to lure new settlement and businesses....But of course...they say just as much about the people who are doing the looking as what was really there.” (13:29)
• Notably, these maps erased indigenous presence and justified colonial expansion: “maps erase as much as they reveal....All that supposedly, quote, unquote, empty, that is stolen land calling for white settlement.” (13:29)
• The craft and detail: “They were done quickly. And then...the artist would send the drawing off to a city where it would be lithographed...and the print run would depend on how many subscriptions they sold in advance.” (14:47)

4. The Enduring Human Impulse for the Long View—From Bird’s-Eye Maps to Spaceflight

[18:23-23:08]

• The conversation connects 19th-century maps to "selfies" and today's overview technologies. “There's something cheerfully narcissistic about it....We often look out and we don't see something new. We just see ourselves, what we want to see.” (18:23)
• McPherson delves into the "overview effect"—the humbling awe astronauts experience seeing Earth from space, which can be renewing and perspective-shifting.
• However, he cautions: “These maps leave out as much as they show. Essentially, they're stories for better and worse and hopefully for best. They're kind of useful fictions.” (19:12)
• Modern applications: Aerial maps used for urban planning (e.g., St. Louis) can be wielded as instruments for development and erasure, as with neighborhoods labeled ‘vacant’ to justify displacement for new projects.

5. St. Louis: A Microcosm of Aerial History and Geospatial Power

[23:44-26:32]

• St. Louis is grounded as a key site in the narrative: “It's a city that was built adjacent to and on top of a complex network of ancient indigenous mounds...”
• The “cradle of American aviation,” with history in ballooning, flight, aerospace manufacturing, and government cartography.
• The recent construction of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency’s (NGA) massive campus in St. Louis resulted in the erasure of 27 city blocks—an example of aerial views justifying ground-level upheaval.
• The NGA: “produces and analyzes satellite imagery for the military and other spy agencies...They do things like maintain GPS...run the Pentagon's big initiative to harness AI....today the NGA St. Louis campus employs about 4,000 people.” (23:44–26:20)

6. How the Pandemic Changed Views on 'Distance' and Mapping

[28:15-30:24]

• The pandemic heightened awareness of “capital H history… the derangement of space and time,” says McPherson, and made the metaphorical “long view” newly relevant.
• Digital communication (“the rise of Zoom”) provided the “appearance of moving closer without actually moving your position”—highlighting illusions and realities of connection and distance.

7. Drones, Aerial Panopticons, and the Ethics of Surveillance

[31:09-33:14]

• McPherson acknowledges productive uses of drones (science, agriculture, photography) but is wary of their ever-growing role in surveillance and warfare, especially when combined with AI and Big Data.
• Distance increases ethical danger: “One of the themes of the book is that with distance comes danger, and with drones, it's quite literal. When you're dropping bombs from afar, yes, you're removed from the consequences. But for whom?...the psychic cost of a drone war is immense....” (31:09–33:14)

8. Wonder, Ambivalence, and the Call to "Look Out"

[33:38-36:34]

• Surprise and discovery are central to both McPherson’s writing and the message of the book.
• “The big question in the book becomes how might we walk the knife's edge of seeing the big picture without erasing all that's on the ground?” (34:41)
• McPherson advocates for “unstable stereoscope, a kind of doubled sight, both far out and close up,” and cautions: “beware of anyone coming to town trying to sell you a map. And a book isn't a book just like a map. So maybe at best, this one just encourages readers to kind of come up with their own map.” (34:41–36:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On his creative process:
  “With any writing project in the beginning, I just try to keep it simple and follow my interest without questioning why. You know, something in the world has rung a bell in my brain, something out there has run rhymed with my inner life.” (05:36, McPherson)

• On the function of bird’s-eye view maps:
  “The maps were meant to be part souvenir, like a source of local pride...but in some ways, they were also made by immigrants for other immigrants...But of course. And here's the turn, they say just as much about the people who are doing the looking as was what was really there. One of the big themes of the book is that maps erase as much as they reveal.” (13:29, McPherson)

• On awe and the overview effect:
  “And for me, some of these, these pictures, like pictures from space, can indeed send my mind reeling.... It's humbling and renewing, and I've slipped the bonds of my ego and here's where we turn. But I'm also scared.” (19:12, McPherson)

• On the lasting dangers of aerial views:
  “With distance comes danger, and with drones, it's quite literal. When you're dropping bombs from afar, yes, you're removed from the consequences. But for whom? Is that view really safer? Certainly not those on the ground accidentally caught in the crosshairs.” (31:09, McPherson)

• On the book's purpose:
  “The big question in the book becomes how might we walk the knife's edge of seeing the big picture without erasing all that's on the ground?” (34:41, McPherson)

• On skepticism of narratives and maps:
  “One of the moves the book makes again and again is to remind readers to beware of anyone coming to town trying to sell you a map. And a book isn't a book just like a map. So maybe at best, this one just encourages readers to kind of come up with their own map.” (36:34, McPherson)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction & theme: [01:36–04:26]
• McPherson's approach and writing process: [04:26–06:52]
• Book structure and philosophy: [07:32–09:35]
• History and making of bird’s-eye maps: [09:35–16:08]
• Maps as narcissism and self-reflection: [18:23–18:44]
• Long view today: Spaceflight, Google Maps, and overview effect: [18:44–23:08]
• St. Louis's aerial history and the NGA: [23:44–26:32]
• Pandemic, digital distance, and narrative: [28:15–30:24]
• Drones, panopticons, surveillance, and ethics: [31:09–33:14]
• Surprises encountered, author’s ambivalence, and “double vision”: [33:38–36:34]
• Final reflections and next projects: [36:34–38:04]

Conclusion

McPherson’s Look Out is a richly layered, questioning work that explores not only the thrill but also the ethical ambiguity and dangers of taking the long view—across maps, technology, and time. The conversation is suffused with his affection for awe and curiosity, but also his skepticism about the stories and fictions we tell in the name of perspective. The episode leaves listeners pondering: How do we look out—literally and metaphorically—without losing sight of what is right before us?