The Earth as a living Entity
The Gaia Hypothesis - James Lovelock
We now see that the air, the ocean and the soil are much more than a mere environment for life; they are a part of life itself.
There is nothing unusual in the idea of life on Earth interacting with the air, sea and rocks, but it took a view from outside to glimpse the possibility that this combination might consist of a single giant living system and one with the capacity to keep the Earth always at a state most favorable for the life upon it. It was the novelist William Golding who proposed the name Gaia.
“After all those three and a half billion years of evolution, the earth at last has something with intelligence and communication. We are natural and we shouldn’t think of ourselves as separate from the Earth. Through our eyes, the Earth has seen for the very first time, from space, what an incredibly beautiful planet she is. And that’s worthwhile, well worth it.” From an interview: James Lovelock on Climate Change - 2 Feb 2007 By Christine Carter
If we are "all creatures great and small," from bacteria to whales, part of Gaia then we are all of us potentially important to her well being. We knew in our hearts that the destruction of whole ranges of other species was wrong but now we know why. No longer can we merely regret the passing of one of the great whales, or the blue butterfly, nor even the smallpox virus. When we eliminate one of these from Earth, we may have destroyed a part of ourselves, for we also are a part of Gaia.
There are many possibilities for comfort as there are for dismay in contemplating the consequences of our membership in this great commonwealth of living things. It may be that one role we play is as the senses and nervous system for Gaia. Through our eyes she has for the first time seen her very fair face, and in our minds become aware of herself. We do indeed belong here. The earth is more than just a home, it's a living system and we are part of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment