This intriguing short volume is a series of philosophical essays pleading for weed scientists to consider more carefully their research and its consequences for society, human health and the environment. Zimdahl first wrote an essay for a 1993 USDA symposium. This one revisits it and asks whether weed science has ‘overcome the paralysis of the pesticide paradigm’. He presents his thoughts through historical perspectives as to why the ‘pesticide paradigm’ developed, that weed scientists have worked in apparent isolation and a lack of forethought as to the consequences of their output and how societal responses have developed. He asks whether weed science is changing and questioning, or whether the ‘pesticide paradigm’ remains at its core. Zimdahl also recognises signs of evolution, but that it should go further in understanding weeds and their behaviour and the analysis of risk in technical change for humanity and the environment so that we can use available technologies more wisely.

I suspect that weed science has evolved more in those directions than indicated in Zimdahl's largely US-biased review. Nevertheless, I recommend this to all who wish to consider how weed science could develop; but not only weed science. This is a salutary tale for all scientists – remember that there is a wider world out there!