Gaia: a New Look at Life on Earth - J. E. Lovelock

Gaia - A New Look at Life on Earth James Lovelock ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ The Earth is not a disparate collection of oceans, land and air populated by simple and complex life forms. It is a single entity where everything within the planets biosphere colludes to form a cybernetic system which actively seeks to maintain an optimal physical and chemical environment suitable for sustaining life. This is the underlying theory of Gaia as first proposed by Professor James Lovelock in his book 'Gaia - A New Look at Life on Earth'. Published in 1979, Gaia is a refreshing and ... more

The Gaia hypothesis is very intriguing. The theory that the whole of Planet Earth is a living super-organism struck a chord with me when I first heard it. Reading the book, it starts to make a lot of sense; the examples used early on demonstrate excellent insight from Jim Lovelock. The book is very well written, and is easily understandable to those without a scientific background. It was criticised by some scientists at publication for being geared towards the public, but I believe the book can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their education or background. I love the concept of Gaia, but ... more