Gaia and Philosophy
by Lynn Margulis & Dorion Sagan
introduction by Dorion Sagan
images by Anicka Yi
In the 1970s, microbiologist Lynn Margulis and atmospheric chemist James Lovelock developed the Gaia theory. Embracing the circular logic of life and engineering systems, the Gaia theory states that Earth is a self-regulating complex system in which life interacts with and eventually becomes its own environment
Gaia describes a living Earth: a body in the form of a planet. For billions of years, life has created an environment conducive to its continuation, influencing the physical attributes of Earth on a planetary scale. An idea with precedents in natural science and philosophy for millennia, Gaia resonates with the ancient magico-religious understanding that all is one: as above, so below.
Fusing science, mathematics, philosophy, ecology, and mythology, Gaia and Philosophy, with a new introduction by Dorion Sagan, challenges Western anthropocentrism to propose a symbiotic planet.
In its striking philosophical conclusion, the revolutionary Gaia paradigm holds important implications not only for understanding life's past but for shaping its future.
Lynn Margulis (1938–2011) was an interdisciplinary evolutionary biologist, author, and educator. Her books include Microcosmos: Four Billion Years of Evolution from Our Microbial Ancestors, Mystery Dance: On the Evolution of Human Sexuality, and Slanted Truths: Essays on Gaia, Symbiosis, and Evolution.
Dorion Sagan is an ecological philosopher and author or coauthor of twenty-five books, translated into fifteen languages. With his parents, Carl Sagan and Lynn Margulis, he is coauthor of the entries for both “Life” and “Extraterrestrial Life” in Encyclopædia Britannica. He is currently working on a “metabiography” on his parents' early romance and connected sciences.
Anicka Yi is a South Korean conceptual artist known for installations that engage the senses, especially smell, and for her collaborations with biologists and chemists. She lives and works in New York City.
Ignota
paperback
English
June 30, 2023
88 pages
4.5 x 0.25 x 6 inches
