GaugingGaia
Prof ChristianHubert AnthropoceneArch581A-02 PrattInstituteFall2022
In her beautiful and almighty presence, her children reside. Their existence depends on her. She gives them a home and nourishment. Her generosity is taken advantage of and in some cases, she is completely neglected and forgotten Despite birthing a magical dimension of living beings, she can not sacrifice the health of her womb A womb that functions as a self-regulating system, aiming for the balance of forces, in order to remain fertile Regardless if she is intentionalorherbodysimplyfunctions this way, she will focus on one thing andonethingonly,whichistopreserveherwomb Letuscuttothe chase SheisMotherNature,unpopularlyknownasGaia
In the Anthropocene epoch, a plethora of natural disasters emerge Forest fires, risingsealevels, and record breaking heat waves put certain populationsoftheworldatrisk Ourimpactontheplanet,the Industrial Revolution, and the overconsumption of fossil fuels, has led to permanent damages in the atmosphere Throughout history, humanity has not made as great of an impact on the planet, as it has duringtheAnthropocene Similarly,asretaliation,theplanethasbeenbreakingrecordsinclimatechanges recently It seems as though the human nature enterprise is at a constant tug of war as a means to maintainequilibrium.Yetagain,whatcan
Humanity has grown to possess spiritual earthly entity has been oversha y p p entity? It is not only a poetic analogy,butalsoabeliefsystemwhichmanifestsitselfintoawayofliving. When we are attached to the planet, we also start to care for it accordingly. Attachment is established through our belief in her existence. Skepticism of Gaia is the reason why we areslowlyapproachingthe doomsdayforourspecies.IfGaiawasabeliefsystemacceptedbyall,wewouldnotbeseeingimbalances andscarcities.
James Lovelock (1919-2022) was an English scientist who studied the possibility of a sole terrestrial entity andproposedtheGaiatheory,inthe1970s.Throughthepersonificationoftheplanetasa living entity called Gaia, Lovelock concluded that “it appears to have theunconsciousgoalofregulating the climate and the chemistry at a comfortable state for life”(Page 19) 1 Further details about the Gaia theory were presented in his book called “The Revenge of Gaia” Lovelock worked as a contractor for NASA’s planetary exploration team in the 1960s He studied the atmospheric compositionofMars,from which he discovered it “to be composed almost entirely of carbon dioxide therefore probably 1 LovelockJames.2006. The Revenge of Gaia : Earth's Climate in Crisis and the Fate of Humanity NewYork:BasicBooks.
lifeless.”(Page 22)Lovelocksimultaneouslyconcluded“thatlivingorganismsregulatetheclimateandthe chemistry of the atmosphere in their own interest”(Page 22) on planet Earth. Something was distinctly unique about Earth as a whole, that enabled its ability to sustain life, unlike other planets in the solar system At this point in time, he had hypothesized that “the biosphere [was] an active, adaptive control system,abletomaintaintheEarthinhomeostasis,”(Page22)ThissystemwasGaia
But, one must not confuse maintaining the state of life on Earth as the primary goal of Gaia Lovelock says the growth of living thingsonEarthisamagicalpowerbutalsoa“constraint”(Page20)in which Gaia has been dwelling in for a while Through the historical conversion of ocean to desert surfaces, by fluctuating temperature and sunlight, Lovelock concludes that another one of “Gaia’s goals appears to be to keep theEarthcool”(Page20)Therefore,tosustainlifeonearth,asitisrightnow,isnot the ultimate goalofGaia,butrathertomaintainanenvironmentforpotentiallife,regardlessofwhatkind Historically this is evident through the many eras thatearthhasgonethrough,forexample,thePaleozoic era, the age of dinosaurs, the Ice Ages, and on forth Through these eras, drastic changes intemperature occurred, but a consistent atmospheric compositionofcarbondioxide,oxygen,andothercompoundswas maintainedforpotentiallifetoarise.
Interestingly, this theory can be justified by both scientific and spiritual concepts. From the science perspective, Lovelock had connected the theory to Earth System Sciences(ESS), specifically the biosphere. However the biosphere is merely a thinlayerattheearth’ssurfacewhichconnectsecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. Unlike this scientific comparison, Gaia extendswellbelowthesurfacetothe core,aswellashighabovetotheedgeoftheatmospheretouchingspace.Ratherthandistinctsystems,the Gaia theory encompasses everything on Earth that participates in the feedback loop to accomplish her goals. His colleagues Lynn Margulis(1938-2011) and her husband Carl Segan(1934-1996) further exploredthespecificsystemswhichjustifiedGaia’sexistence.
Margulius was amicrobiologistwhowasaco-founderoftheGaia theory, alongside Lovelock. Her work pertained to the evolution of cellular formations She studied two cell types, the eukaryote and prokaryote (one with a nucleus and the other without) Margulius’s hypothesis suggested that the prokaryote merged itself into the eukaryote and began to work simultaneously in the production of energy This concept is defined as “endosymbiosis” and has similar underlying ideas about evolution in large scale organisms 2 Evolutionary hypothesis of
2 Glorfeld,Jeff.“FromtheVault:LynnMargulis,ContrariantotheEnd.”Cosmos,May5,2020. https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/science-history-lynn-margulis-contrarian-to-the-end/.
cellular formations can be compared to the Gaia theory. It is almost as if humanity merged itself into earthlysystems.
Earthly systems (geology and biology) are known to be distinct fields of study Gaia theory introduced a whole unit which encompassed all earth system sciences In addition to system sciences, Scientific Gaia also addresses, “the globally stable context of our histories and our calculations, the product of a history of coevolution, the first artisans [and] continuing authors of populations of microorganisms”3 Like Margulius’s cellular evolutionary theory, the planet has experienced many prokaryotic absorbances throughout its lifetime Thus, scientific Gaia, as a unit itself, has also evolved overtime Scientific Gaia hasitsownevolutionaryhistory,distinguishedbycoolingandwarmingperiods, natural disasters, and climate change It is not only the Earth system we see today, but also their evolutionsthroughouthistory,whichdefineGaiafromascientificperspective
Lovelock suggests that Gaia has grown ill He suspects “the existence of a threshold, set by the temperature or the level of carbon dioxide in the air”(Page6)4 isthegaugingfactorforGaia’sretaliation Like the human body when a virus has penetrated, it will increase its temperature to as high as 106 degrees, as an attempt to kill off the virus. At the same time, if this temperature is maintained for an extendedperiodoftime,permanentbraindamagemayoccur.Thereisafinelinebetweenkillinginfection and causing permanent damage here. Similarly, Gaia has been fighting off a rapidly growing illness. Carbon dioxide emissions seem to be the cause for the climate issues wefacetoday.Ithasevenbeenthe defining factor for the new geological era that we haveenteredinto,theAnthropocene.Effectsofcarbon dioxide are so vast that despite all efforts, theycannotbereversed.Thedamageisdone,“asifwehadlit a fire to keep warm and failed to notice, as we piled on fuel, that the fire was out of control and the furniture had ignited.”(Page 7) Carbon dioxide has merged itself into earthly systems, and pushed us towards a tipping point that has thepotentialtodirecthumanitytoanintensewarmingperiod.Inaddition to CO2 emissions, Lovelock blames poultry, overpopulation, deforestation, advancing technologies, and muchmorefortheillnessofGaia.
Lovelock understood this connection between system sciences and Gaia, however this approach to understanding Gaia “is not much better than a nineteenth-century physician’s understanding of a patient”(Page 6) Comprehension of the climate crisis through the lens of system sciences is merely at surface level What exactly is the enginebehindsystemsciencesthatleadstoaself-regulatingunitwitha telos? One can compare Gaia totheliteraloriginofitsname,beingtheGreektitanrepresentingtheearth
3 IsabelleStengers.2015. In Catastrophic Times: Resisting the Coming Barbarism Chapter4:TheIntrusionofGaia
4 LovelockJames.2006. The Revenge of Gaia : Earth's Climate in Crisis and the Fate of Humanity.NewYork:BasicBooks.
Through the personification of the self sustaining earth system, a mythological being is created. This is thepointatwhichLovelockbeginstoexplorethespiritualundertonesoftheGaiatheory.
Here it should be noted that Gaia is a theory whenundertheumbrellaofascientificperspective When viewed from a spiritual perspective, Gaia is a hypothesis A theory isdefinedasathinkingprocess that is backed up by concrete evidence, while a hypothesis is made on the basis of limited evidence
Despite this distinction, why must cosmological beliefs be undermined as baseless (whenGaiaistitleda hypothesis), when one can trace them back to centuries? Past centuries, in which civilizations were potentially more advanced than us Additionally, who is to say that anecdotal evidence and historical precedence can not be considered as concrete evidence alongside scientific findings? Unfortunately we live in an era where materialistic technological advancements are considered to beofhigherimportance And that is why skepticism and unwillingness to accept Gaia as a fact will remain, specifically among some science communities Many of whom“paylipservicetoEarthSystemSciences(ESS),orGaia,but continue to model and research in isolation”(Page 25) One oppositional group, are the Darwinists, who believed that progressive evolution of the planet was the reason for life on Earth. Lovelock knew that Gaia may not be accepted by many other educational institutions, however this did not stop him from generallystudyingearthsystemsciences.
A 1986 discovery connecting ocean algae to cloud formationsandoxygenregulationwassimply
If earthisviewedasalivingmysticalentity,doesthismeanshehasaconscience?Areheractions intentional or unintentional? To propose that the earth itself is living and has a mind of its own, dwells into the spiritual realm Historically, this philosophy can be traced back to many religious and cosmological beliefs, for example, Indigenous cosmology, Buddhism, Shamanism, Shintoism, Vedic Dharma, and Greek Philosophy Many of whom would refer to this sacred entity as a sentient being Sentient intelligence is developed through sensorial receptivity On the otherhand,sapientintelligenceis derived through knowledge and wisdom A plant is alive, but its biological responses are not emotional, thus giving it sentient intelligence However the human species cannot respond without an emotional force behind it, therefore making us sapient Gaia is like a massive plant-like organism with sentient intelligence
It seems as though the Gaia theory is aimed to appeal to amoderngroupofindividuals,straying away from tradition Modernity versus traditionalism is anissueinitself,howeverGaiadoesnotthreaten traditional beliefs Rather, one can argue that Gaia is a revision of traditional belief systems, in order to appeal to a intellectually different group of people. Inaddition,Lovelockaimsto,“enlargethesomewhat dogmatic and limited definition of life as something that reproduces and corrects the errors of reproduction by natural selection among theprogeny.”(Page16)5 Despitetheanalogyofamotherandher children made at the beginning of this piece, Gaia is defined as somethingwellbeyondjusttheabilityto producelife.
Can something have intention when it is balancing itself? To address the topic of intentional and unintentional actions, or whether there is intention at all, Lovelock uses a graphic simulation called Daisyworld (Lovelock and Andrew Watson 1983). It depicts a shell of daisies around planet earth.Thesimulationofglowinganddimmingpetals is accompanied by a series of equations which calculate the area of fertile ground, growth rate,and death rate This simulation suggested that Gaia is a connected system with an automatic response The dimmed petals absorb light and produce heat, while the litpetalsreflectlight Aresemblancetoalbedoin ice glaciers at the northern and southern poles can be made The melting of these glaciers has increased the dark surface area of the planet (deep oceans) resulting in higher light absorbance and rising
5 LovelockJames.2006. The Revenge of Gaia : Earth's Climate in Crisis and the Fate of Humanity NewYork:BasicBooks.
temperatures. Through Daisyworld, itwasdiscoveredthat“thegrowthrateofthedaisiesisassumedtobe a parabolic function of local temperature.” 6 Referring back to the cooling and warming periods of the planet, it seems as though the regulation oftemperatureispotentiallythemaingoal(ortelos)ofGaia As mentioned earlier, life on earth is merely a constraint in which the planet has been living Therefore, Gaia’s fertility for other potential life forms, has nothing in relation to the existence of humans Redirecting back to Daisyworld, Lovelock uses it to suggest that there is no fundamental distinction between automatic behavior and intentional action In doing so, there is no distinction between fact and value for Gaia This is simply just how she functions, and knows nothing other than to work towards achievinghergoals
To believe that Gaia is taking “revenge”, is contradictory to the findings of Daisyworld Gaia is sentient, and therefore does not have an emotional drivetotakerevenge Gaiaisnotavengingagainstus, but rather she is doing what she has been doing since the beginning of time Gaia should not be antagonized by humans Isabelle Stenger, a Belgian philosopher, argues against the antagonization of Gaia. Gaia is not to be provoked or vindicated. If accountabilityneedstobetakenforthecurrentclimate crisis and the increaseinnaturaldisastersaroundtheworld,“itisagainstwhatprovokedGaia,notagainst her response.”7 Therefore, wemustblameourselvesfortheissuesweface.Extractingnaturalresourcesat abnormal rates willundoubtedlyleaveusinpositionsofscarcity.Tamperingwiththepetalsofdaisyworld for the sake of life in concrete jungles, will bring nothing but counteractions from the self-regulating system. What we give is what we get, simply because Gaia is always striving for balance in hersystem. Additionally, the debate of defining Gaia as an actual entity will remain among skeptics, evenifagroup of authorized publicscientistsofficializeit.Earthsystemsciencesand/orGaiawillnotwaitforhumansto acknowledgeherexistence.
Skepticism of a living earth is counterintuitive to the natural instinctsofhumans.Alivingplanet is intrinsic to the way we view the world. A diversity of belief systems can be found throughouthistory which use the personification of the planet as a worshiped entity. Before telescopes were invented, the lensofourimaginationwasusedtoviewtheuniversebeyondourreach
Firstly, Lovelock named his theory after the ancient Greek titan Gaia, who was depicted as a maternal figure emerging from the earth in ancient artifacts Sheboreatotalof15childrenwithOuranos (god of the sky), Pontos (god of the sea), and Tartaros (god of the pit), each of whom had a distinct purpose in building the atmosphere around her Many of her children were imprisoned in her womb by Ouranos, for which she rebelled against This so-called womb, most likely refers to her body itself The
6 JamesLovelock. “Biological Homeostasis of the Global Environment: The Parable of Daisyworld.” Manuscriptreceived20 October1982;infinalform14February1983.
http://www.jameslovelock.org/biological-homeostasis-of-the-global-environment-the-parable-of-daisyworld/.
7 IsabelleStengers.2015. In Catastrophic Times: Resisting the Coming Barbarism Chapter4:TheIntrusionofGaia
core from which mountains and seas emerged. One can trace the study of the earth, through a scientific lens, throughout Greekhistoryaswell.ThephilosopherAristotle(384-322BC)knewthattheEarthwasa spherical form He used shadows of the sun and angle calculations, in an attempt to calculate the circumference The Greek mathematician, Eratosthenes (276-194 BC), had also used similar techniques and concluded to an amazingly close estimation, to the actual measurement we know today Mystical beliefs preceded mathematical studies Titan Gaia was merely the inspirational force behind scientific calculationsbythegreats
One can find the same embodiment of the earth in Indigenous cosmology Stories of the world being carried on the back ofamassiveturtlehavebeenpassedonforgenerations TurtleIslandisabelief known to Lenape, Haundenoshaunee, and Cherokee people, along with many other Native American tribes The turtle dove into the ocean to collect and hoist dirt up to the surface on its back, from which plants and organisms grew Turtle Island inspired the way peoplewouldextractresourcesfromtheearth It is highly important for native americans to use the full scope of extracted elements For example, pouching of moose and bison encompasses a systematic way of harvesting the meat for food, bones for tools, and skin for clothing. The animal is used in its entirety, with no waste produced. Here, it is noticeable that the personification of the earth brings forth a sense of appreciation and nurturing for it. One can compare this to Isabelle Stenger’s argument that the naming of Gaia “is not to say what is true but to confer on what is named the power to make us feel and think in a mode that the namecallsfor.”8 Regardless of the form, the presence of a spiritual self-regulating entity, encourages a love and care for our planet. Gaia calls for us to live in appreciation of her. In doing so, we begin toliveinharmonywith her.
Native to Japan, the religion of Shintoism has a similar personification of the earth. The earthis believed to be alive in nature. Everything has the spirit of Kami, a shinto god that exists as different natural elements(i.e.Kamiofthesea,Kamioffertility,KamiofTreeBlossoms,KamioftheSun).Shinto beliefs are rooted in the spiritual embodiment of natural elements such as trees, rocks,andwaterbodies. Sacred shrines are created through the embellishment of evergreen trees and large rockswithstringsand tassels Traditional Japanese architecture is heavily influenced by these shrines and the home starts to form around the shrine Tatami mats and folding screens allow forflexibleprograms,theshrinehowever remains rooted in the plan One also appreciates the physical object in its purest form Thisappreciation leadstoasimpleandminimalwayofliving,andpossessingonlythenecessities
8 IsabelleStengers.2015. In Catastrophic Times: Resisting the Coming Barbarism Chapter4:TheIntrusionofGaia
Greek philosophy, Indigenous cosmology, and Shintoism are all examples of communities that have built cultures aroundlivinginharmonywithMotherEarth However,whatdoesharmonymean,ina world that cannot function without technology?EarthsystemsciencesareusedtojustifyGaia’sexistence in scientific terms The biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and other “spheres” cooperate in a positive feedback loop But, what happens when the technosphere becomes a part of this loop? Would it remain positive or become negative?
Here is where Bruno Latour (French philosopher) and Timothy M Lenton (Professor of ESSs) theorized a potential evolution of Gaia intheir2018 article for ScienceMag called “Gaia 2.0: Could humans add some level of self-awareness to Earth’s self-regulation?” Gaia 2.0 is a way for us to accept the fact that “agency of life-forms and their ability to set goals may be an effective framework for fostering global sustainability.”(Page 1066)9 Latour and Lenton use three main characteristics of the original Gaia to defineaGaia2.0.Thesekeyfeaturesareautotrophy,networks,andheterarchy.
Autotrophy refers toarecyclingloopthatis“builtonmetabolicby-products,withoneorganism’s waste becoming another’s food.”(Page 1067) The closure of a recycling loop indicates thatthesystemis efficient and sustainable. As mentioned, the pouching methods used in native american communities partake in aclosedrecyclingloop.Theissueswefacetodayareduetothefactthatthetechnospherelacks autotrophy. The technosphere must be made into a closed system through energy efficient design incentives The technosphere spans from the burning offossilfuelbyvehiclestotheuseofplastic Inthe smaller scale techno spherical networks, ways of closing these open ended loops would be through reusing, reducing, and recycling By using this as a generalconsensusforthewayoflife,wecanattempt
9 TimothyM.LentonBrunoLatour 2018. Gaia 2.0 Science.bytheAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience.
to close off some of our open loops. People must be willing to love Gaia andbuildanattachmenttoher. This would take massive herd behavior to accomplish. But, byobservingtheherdbehaviorthatoccurred duringthepandemic,itismostdefinitelypossible
The second feature of Gaia is networks, referring to the “Microbial networkscreatinglong-lived products that sometimes accumulate glob-ally notably oxygen in theatmosphere”(Page1067)Humans have now become a microbial network with great influence on other networks, in the age of Gaia 20 Humanity must work towards the singular goal of a closed circular economy, while still supporting economicdiversityaroundtheworld
Finally, heterarchy does not refer to power dynamics in natural selection, but rather the factthat “systems with self-stabilizingconfigurationstendtopersist”(Page1067)Thedifferencebetweenthetwo definitions is that one merely speaks of a shorter time scale while another addresses a larger time (and space) scale Latour and Lenton use the evolution of carbon dioxide quantities in the atmosphere in accordancewithbiologicalevolutiontosuggestthatC02hassomelevelofheterarchyoverorganisms
Through these three definingcategoriesofGaia,itisevidentthathumanshavealtereditsoriginal method of stabilizing. Yet again, much of this can be attested to the rapidly growing technological advancements that partake in an open recycling loop. Not to mention, the network of humanity is in a constant limbo of being progressive as well as trying to achieve efficiency at the same time.Whenallis said and done, the hierarchy of Gaia can not be altered or ignored and thus we must use Gaia 2.0 to “reevaluateourcollectivegoals,aswellasthemeansofachievingthem.”(Page1067)
In conclusion, Gaia is unique because she touches on both spirituality and scientific beliefs. Whether we believe to belivingwithGaiaorGaia2.0,herspiritmustbeacknowledgedforustomovein a sustainable direction. Scientific findings can not be completely disconnected from values. Inspiration and imaginationisthedrivingforcebehindgreatfindingsandpositiveactionsforthefuture.Therefore,to take care of the planetweneedspiritualitytosomedegree,regardlessofthemanyscientistswhomaysay otherwise. Her spirit remains with us, and it is through our realization of her presence that we can take careofher
WordCount:3886
Bibliography:
Books:
1 LovelockJames 2006 The Revenge of Gaia : Earth's Climate in Crisis and the Fate of Humanity New York:BasicBooks.
2 IsabelleStengers 2015 In Catastrophic Times: Resisting the Coming Barbarism Chapter4:TheIntrusion ofGaia
Articles:
1. TimothyM.LentonBrunoLatour.2018. Gaia 2.0 Science.bytheAmericanAssociationforthe AdvancementofScience
Websites:
1 Glorfeld,Jeff “From the Vault: Lynn Margulis, Contrarian to the End ” Cosmos,May5,2020 https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/science-history-lynn-margulis-contrarian-to-the-end/.
2 JamesLovelock “Biological Homeostasis of the Global Environment: The Parable of Daisyworld ” Manuscriptreceived20October1982;infinalform14February1983. http://wwwjameslovelockorg/biological-homeostasis-of-the-global-environment-the-parable-of-daisyworl d/
3 Gaia Mythopedia (nd) RetrievedDecember13,2022,fromhttps://mythopediacom/topics/gaia