Gaia Hypothesis

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Gaia Hypothesis
A Wisdom Archive on The Gaia Hypothesis

Gaia Hypothesis The Gaia Hypothesis proposes that our planet functions as a single organism that maintains conditions necessary for its survival. The truly startling component of the Gaia hypothesis is the idea that the Earth is a single living entity with the capacity of self regulation.

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What is The Gaia Hypothesis?

The Gaia Hypothesis proposes that our planet functions as a single organism that maintains conditions necessary for its survival. Formulated by James Lovelock in the mid-1960s and published in a book in 1979, this controversial idea has spawned several interesting ideas and many new areas of research. While this hypothesis is by no means substantiated, it provides many useful lessons about the interaction of physical, chemical, geological, and biological processes on Earth. Thus, it is a good starting point for our study of oceanography, providing a broad overview of the kinds of processes that will interest us throughout the semester.

Throughout history, the concept of Mother Earth has been a part of human culture in one form or another. Everybody has heard of Mother Earth, but have you ever stopped to think who (or what) Mother Earth is? Consider these explanations.

The Hopi name for Mother Earth is Tapuat (meaning mother and child), symbolized by a form of concentric circles or squares, as shown below. These forms symbolize the cycle of life, the rebirth of the spirit, its earthly path, and, possibly, its return to the spiritual domain. The lines and passages within the "maze" represent the universal plan of the Creator and the path that man must follow to seek enlightenment.

A more imposing definition of Mother Earth might be found in the Hindu goddess Kali. She is the Cosmic Power, representing all of the good and all of the bad in the Universe, combining the absolute power of destruction with the precious motherly gift of creation. It is said that Kali creates, preserves, destroys. Also known as the Black One, her name means "The Ferry across the Ocean of Existence."

The ancient Greeks called their Earth goddess Ge or Gaia. Gaia embodies the idea of a Mother Earth, the source of the living and non-living entities that make up the Earth. Like Kali, Gaia was gentle, feminine and nurturing, but also ruthlessly cruel to any who crossed her. Note that the prefix "ge" in the words geology and geography is taken from the Greek root for Earth.

James Lovelock has taken the idea of Mother Earth one step further and given it a modern scientific twist. (Are our modern Mother Earth "hypotheses" any more refined than ancient Mother Earth myths?). Lovelock defines Gaia "as a complex entity involving the Earth's biosphere, atmosphere, oceans, and soil; the totality constituting a feedback or cybernetic system which seeks an optimal physical and chemical environment for life on this planet." Through Gaia, the Earth sustains a kind of homeostasis, the maintenance of relatively constant conditions.

The truly startling component of the Gaia hypothesis is the idea that the Earth is a single living entity. This idea is certainly not new. James Hutton (1726-1797), the father of geology, once described the Earth as a kind of superorganism. And right before Lovelock, Lewis Thomas, a medical doctor and skilled writer, penned these words in his famous collection of essays, The Lives of a Cell:

�Viewed from the distance of the moon, the astonishing thing about the earth, catching the breath, is that it is alive. The photographs show the dry, pounded surface of the moon in the foreground, dry as an old bone. Aloft, floating free beneath the moist, gleaming, membrane of bright blue sky, is the rising earth, the only exuberant thing in this part of the cosmos. If you could look long enough, you would see the swirling of the great drifts of white cloud, covering and uncovering the half-hidden masses of land. If you had been looking for a very long, geologic time, you could have seen the continents themselves in motion, drifting apart on their crustal plates, held afloat by the fire beneath. It has the organized, self-contained look of a live creature, full of information, marvelously skilled in handling the sun.�

Thomas goes even one step further when he writes:

"I have been trying to think of the earth as a kind of organism,

but it is a no go...it is most like a single cell."

Courtesy to: http://www.oceansonline.com

Gaia: James Lovelock

"Most of us sense that the Earth is more than a sphere of rock with a thin layer of air, ocean and life covering the surface. We feel that we belong here as if this planet were indeed our home. Long ago the Greeks, thinking this way, gave to the Earth the name Gaia or, for short, Ge. In those days, science and theology were one and science, although less precise, had soul. As time passed this warm relationship faded and was replaced by the frigidity of the schoolmen. The life sciences, no longer concerned with life, fell to classifying dead things and even to vivisection. Ge was stolen from theology to become no more the root from which the disciplines of geography and geology were named. Now at last there are signs of a change. Science becomes holistic again and rediscovers soul, and theology, moved by ecumenical forces, begins to realise that Gaia is not to be subdivided for academic convenience and that Ge is much more than just a prefix."

James Lovelock

See separate article: What is Gaia?

An analogy to the Gaia Theory

One useful analogy that has been proposed for understanding Gaia is the California redwood tree, Sequoia gigantea. These trees which stand in great groves along the northern coast of California and elsewhere can stand as high as 300 feet and weigh as much as 2000 tons. Some of them are more than 3000 years old.

Redwood trees are like Gaia because 97% of their tissues are dead. The wood of the trunk and the bark of the tree are dead. Only a small rim of cells along the periphery of the trunk is living. The trunk of the tree is similar to the Earth's lithosphere with a thin layer of living organisms spread across its surface. The bark, like the atmosphere, protects the living tissues, and allows for the exchange of biologically important gases, such as carbon dioxide and oxygen.

There is no doubt in my mind that a redwood tree is a living entity. Would you just call the outer layer the redwood tree and the rest of it dead wood? The same holds true for Gaia. While much of the Earth may be considered "non-living", the fact that all of these non-living parts are involved to some extent in living processes suggests that the whole Earth is alive, just like a redwood tree.

Courtsey to: http://www.oceansonline.com

ARTICLES RELATED TO Gaia Hypothesis

Gaia Hypothesis: What is Gaia?

Most of us sense that the Earth is more than a sphere of rock with a thin layer of air, ocean and life covering the surface. We feel that we belong here as if this planet were indeed our home. Long ago the Greeks, thinking this way, gave to the Earth the name Gaia or, for short, Ge. In those days, science and theology were one and science, although less precise, had soul. As time passed this warm relationship faded and was replaced by the frigidity of the schoolmen. The life sciences, no longer concerned with life, fell to classifying dead things and even to vivisection. Ge was stolen from theology to become no more the root from which the disciplines of geography and geology were named. Now at last there are signs of a change. Science becomes holistic again and rediscovers soul, and theology, moved by ecumenical forces, begins to realise that Gaia is not to be subdivided for academic convenience and that Ge is much more than just a prefix.

James Lovelock

Read more here: » Gaia Hypothesis: What is Gaia?

Gaia Hypothesis: Encyclopedia II - Gaia theory science - Recent Developments Gaia theory science - The Second Gaia Conference. By the time of the 2nd Chapman Conference on the Gaia Hypothesis, held at Valencia, in Spain on the 23 June 2000, the situation had developed significantly in accordance with the developing science of Bio-geophysiology. Rather than a discussion of the Gaian teleological views, or "types" of Gaia Theory, the focus was upon the specific mechanisms by which basic short term homeostasis was maintained within a framework of significant evolutionary long ...

Including:

Gaia theory science - Critical analysis

Gaia theory science - Recent Developments

Gaia theory science - The Second Gaia Conference

Gaia theory science - Gaia hypothesis in ecology

Gaia Hypothesis: Gaia Theory - Science of the Living Earth

�Daisyworld and the Gaia Hypothesis are controversial because they touch on the definition of what constitutes life. If we think that life is about the selfish gene, competition, and survival of the fittest, then it is hard to see where the Earth fits in. However, it isn't necessary to think that the Earth is alive in order to appreciate that it is a highly complex system. And, if we say it is alive, why is that so threatening? No one doubts that plants are alive, but they don't do anything nearly as complicated as the Earth does.�

A brief introduction to the intriguing Gaia theory, as developed by James Lovelock, Lynn Margulis and others.

Gaia Hypothesis: Chakras and the Seven Sacred Cities

Seven cities in India correspond to seven centres or chakras in our body: �Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika, Puri drawaravati chaiva, Saptaide moksha dayika�. The seven cities are companioned with seven sacred rivers; Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Godavari, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri

The microcosm and the macrocosm are interlinked. Planet earth, home to many organisms, is itself a large organism. It is not just a place for living beings; it is a living organism as a whole. This is what the Gaia theory says. Materialism considers everything as objects. Spirituality, on the other hand, discovers life in everything.

Gaia Hypothesis: Meeting Ground: Vedas And Rio

At the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992, environmental issues were hotly debated and an attempt was made to arrive at a blueprint for future conservation efforts. A document, known as Agenda 21, was issued, which provided 27 guiding principles for sustainable development.

Interestingly, several of the 'Rio principles' for environmental conservation were taught and practised in ancient India. The modern holistic approach for ecological balance is reflected in the most ancient of Indian scriptures, the Vedas.

Read more here: » Hinduism and Ecology: Meeting Ground: Vedas And Rio

Gaia Hypothesis: Kindle the Spirit: Venerate Nature

Today, there is a worldwide movement to protect the environment. But this concern has been part of the Indian ethos since ages.

The five basic elements - kshit i (soil), jal (water), panak (fire), gagan (sky or ether) and sameer (air) from which life has emerged - have all been objects of worship, forming an integral part of Indian tradition. The elements are deified, as they are believed to be protectors of jeevan tatva (life). But they can protect and bless us only if we give them due respect.

Read more here: » Hinduism and Ecology: Kindle the Spirit: Venerate Nature

Gaia Hypothesis: Man & Environment - A Special Bond

Buddhism sees humans neither as a special creation of God, nor does it see them as having been given dominion over 'lesser' species. It says that like all sentient beings, humans also wander in the limited, conditioned realm of samsara, the cycle of rebirths.

It believes that man influences the environment not only through his actions but also through the moral and immoral qualities of his actions - karmic effects catch up with people via their environment.

Read more here: » Buddhism and Ecology: Man & Environment - A Special Bond

Gaia Hypothesis: In Praise of Trees - Nature's Gift

A tree is a beautiful expression of mother earth's creativity. It has shakti . It restores balance in the environment by its positive force. A tree doesn't have a mind of its own, only the cosmic heart of the universe. It responds to human sentiments.

The pipal tree is sacred to Hindus and Buddhists - the Buddha attained nirvana under this tree. In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna said: "I am as strong as the pipal is among trees." Pipal and tulsi play significant roles in Hindu rituals. The neem tree is the favourite of Durga, and it is grown to ward off evil spirits. The Avdhumra tree is believed to be the abode of Lord Dattatreya, so it is never cut down

Read more here: » Sacred Nature: In Praise of Trees - Nature's Gift

Gaia Hypothesis: Mystical Powers Of the Ganga

What makes a place sacred? A place where meditation is practised over many years automatically acquires certain powers. The place gets charged with the energy and vibrations from peaceful thoughts. Depending on the intensity of meditators, the sanctity and power of a particular place can thus remain charged, exuding powerful vibrations, for thousands of years.

The Parshvanath Hills is one such place. Twenty-two of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras attained nirvana on this hill, and these enlightened persons were separated by thousands of years.

Read more here: » Sacred places in India: Mystical Powers Of the Ganga

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Consciousness

What is Consciousness? What raises us above other known sentient beings is our ability to be conscious of our own consciousness. But what does this mean, scientifically?

This archive will investigate the nature of consciousness, different levels of consciousness, cosmic consciousness, collective consciousness and spirituality and consciousness.

The ultimate questions is wether consciousness can be permanently altered and the nature of enlightenment.

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Gaia Hypothesis

A Wisdom Archive on The Gaia Hypothesis

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