The Gaia Hypothesis

Science on a Pagan Planet

Michael Ruse

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English

Chicago University Press
25 September 2013

Mathematics & Sciences; Philosophy of science; Earth sciences

Series: science.culture

In 1965 English scientist James Lovelock had a flash of insight: the Earth is not just teeming with life; the Earth, in some sense, is life. He mulled this revolutionary idea over for several years, first with his close friend the novelist William Golding, and then in an extensive collaboration with the American scientist Lynn Margulis. In the early 1970s, he finally went public with the Gaia hypothesis, the idea that everything happens for an end: the good of planet Earth. Lovelock and Margulis were scorned by professional scientists, but the general public enthusiastically embraced Lovelock and his hypothesis. People joined Gaia groups; churches had Gaia services, sometimes with new music written especially for the occasion. There was a Gaia atlas, Gaia gardening, Gaia herbs, Gaia retreats, Gaia networking, and much more. And the range of enthusiasts was—and still is—broad. In The Gaia Hypothesis, philosopher Michael Ruse, with his characteristic clarity and wit, uses Gaia and its history, its supporters and detractors, to illuminate the nature of science itself. Gaia emerged in the 1960s, a decade when authority was questioned and status and dignity stood for nothing, but its story is much older. Ruse traces Gaia’s connection to Plato and a long history of goal-directed and holistic—or organicist—thinking and explains why Lovelock and Margulis’s peers rejected it as pseudoscience. But Ruse also shows why the project was a success. He argues that Lovelock and Margulis should be commended for giving philosophy firm scientific basis and for provoking important scientific discussion about the world as a whole, its homeostasis or—in this age of global environmental uncertainty—its lack thereof. Melding the world of science and technology with the world of feeling, mysticism, and religion, The Gaia Hypothesis will appeal to a broad range of readers, from students and scholars of the history and philosophy of science to anyone interested in New Age culture.

By: Michael Ruse
Imprint: Chicago University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 23mm, Width: 15mm, Spine: 2mm
Weight: 482g
ISBN: 9780226731704
ISBN 10: 0226731707
Series: science.culture
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 25 September 2013
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

PrefaceA Note on Interviews and Other SourcesIntroduction1 The Gaia Hypothesis2 The Paradox3 The Pagan Planet4 Mechanism5 Organicism6 Hylozoism7 Gaia Revisited8 UnderstandingEnvoiReferencesIndex

Michael Ruse is the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy and director of the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science at Florida State University. He is the author or editor of nearly thirty books, including Science and Spirituality and The Darwinian Revolution, the latter published by the University of Chicago Press.

Reviews for The Gaia Hypothesis: Science on a Pagan Planet

It is difficult to believe that yet another book on Darwin and the Darwinian Revolution could add anything new or contain any surprises. Michael Ruse's book is an exception on all counts. Darwin scholars and the general reader alike can learn from it. -David L. Hull, Nature Useful and highly readable.... Skillfully organized and written with verve, imagination, and welcome touches of humor. -John C. Greene, Science