The Gaia hypothesis is simply that idea that the Earth is a living organism

by frankiespeakin 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  frankiespeakin

  Interesting C&P plus link:

  This, however, lead to Lovelock perceiving the earth as a complete whole. While on a walk in the countryside in England, Lovelock described his hypothesis to his neighbor William Golding (author of Lord of the Flies), and asked advice concerning a suitable name for it. The result: 'Gaia'?after the Greek goddess who drew the living world forth from Chaos?was chosen.
  
  Lovelock acknowledges that he was not the first to conceive the idea of biological regulation. Scientist Alfred Redfield put forward the hypothesis as early as 1958, when he theorized that the chemical composition of the atmosphere and oceans was biologically controlled. While other scientists had also considered the same hypothesis, the idea never gained much audience and even the papers co-authored by Lovelock and Lyn Margullis largely went unnoticed until Lovelock's book, Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth, caught attention. In the book Lovelock states that humankind is part of an overall complex biosphere organism.

  http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/philosophy/gaia-hypothesis/gaia-hypothesis.html
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  Elsewhere

  An interesting theory... I've heard of it a long time ago but i never really gave it serious thought.

  I can't say I agree with it, but I'll certainly have to think on it more.
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  Double Edge

  I think it's possible. Hey, people talk to trees and plants claiming they're 'alive'... why not?
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  gaiagirl

  Of course, I have to comment a bit on this thread . The idea is sort of a revival of the ancient Greek worldview, but with the added authority of vastly more data which can be interpreted to support the idea. In the early '70s, Oberon Zell published an article in the magazine Green Egg titled 'Theagenesis: Birth of the Goddess". In 1972, James Lovelock, an atmospheric chemist published 'Gaia as Seen Through the Atmosphere' in the journal Atmospheric Environment. In 1979 Lovelock expanded his article into a book, 'Gaia: A New Look At Life On Earth'. He continued to develop the idea, and in 1988 wrote 'The Ages of Gaia: A Biography of Our Living Earth'. These were followed by 'Healing Gaia', and 'The Practical Science of Planetary Medicine'.

  The idea has gained momentum over the past 25 years, to the point that it is included in some college level geology textbooks.
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  Narkissos

  Gaiagirl: just now I notice your Fantasia avatar which is a pretty good illustration of the subject...
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  Satanus

  There are several processes that are somewhat similar to living processes. On the body, the outer layer of skin is dead/inert. The outer layer of the earth, the crust is similar to that, although it has much life teaming, which could be labeled as parasitic. Human skin also has life forms including bacteria and mites which may not live on the skin, but nevertheless subsist from it.

  The engine of the earth consists of a speed difference of rotation between the core and the mantle ( the outer layer). This difference generates lava movements and a protective magnetic field around the earth. This field interacts w the solar wind, incoming meteorites and dust, producing secondary electromagnetic signals, which, when scaled down, sound similar to whale song.

  SS
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  frankiespeakin

  I wounder how long the Earth(Gaia) will keep us around, and of what use we humans serve.

  Boy have we humans come a long way from being the center of the Universe to just a very small insignificant part.

  Oh how strangly comforting!

  We are just Worms!,,,, I tell you,,,, Worms!
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  frankiespeakin

  C&P and Link:

  http://erg.ucd.ie/arupa/references/gaia.html

  Recent scientific work, such as in the field of complex systems, have begun to give us the impression that this opposition of terms, the larger caused by its constituents, or the costituents created by the larger, may be one of those oppositions which are the constructs of our own minds, and must be dropped if we are to understand the truth, which is neither the one nor the other, but more difficult to comprehend and more fascinating to behold. Perhaps there is awareness appropriate at every level.Perhaps that is a property of life.

  And what might be the nature of its evolution, this planetary being called Gaia? Anthropocentrists to the last, we might assume that the production of the human species is a great step upward for Gaia, a sort of rapidly evolving brain tissue. Or that she prepares the earth as a cradle and crucible of consciousness evolving. Other analogies come to mind: are we part of her arsenal of interplanetary spores ?

  And what might constitute a life cycle for such a being- might it be as strange as that of the slime mold ? What stage would Gaia be in now? Is our species part of her maturity or an incubation period ? Is Gaia herself somehow part of a larger living being, perhaps on a galactic scale ? If so how do the cells of this larger being remain in communication? Will we eventually be able to experience something of the awareness which Gaia has ?
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  Dark Knight

  It's life, Jim, but not as we know it.
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  Winston Smith :>D

  Sometimes in life I feel that I have the ability to grasp deeper subjects.

  Then I stumbled in here...

  Either I am an idiot, or have ADD, or both.

  Can I blame it on being raised as a JW?

  Winnie, of the highjacking class