The Relationship Between the Earth's Biota and Physical Environment in John Lovelock's book The Ages of Gaia

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The Relationship Between the Earth's Biota and Physical Environment in John Lovelock's book The Ages of Gaia

John Lovelock in his book The Ages of Gaia presents an argument for a theory governing the relationship between the earth's biota and its physical environment. Lovelock holistic view of nature combines biology and geoclimatology as one science, which he calls geophysiology, "the study of living and non-living Earth as a single system (Lovelock 11)." Lovelock's theory states that life is necessary to maintain the planet's thermodynamic and chemical composition in its current state of homeostasis (the tendency of a system to maintain stability even with external disruptions) until some external force interrupts it, at which point it will move to a new stable state. He terms this theory "Gaia", after the Greek goddess of Earth. The Gaia theory delivers two primary implications: living organisms regulate their planet, and the evolution of species and their physical surroundings are a single inseparable process. The hypothesis points to stable conditions, such as oxygen levels, carbon dioxide concentrations and climate, as evidence that living organisms maintain a life-sustaining environment.

The Gaia Hypothesis is a metaphor in itself that helps describe the planet as a living organism; a metaphor for the Earth as seen as a single physiological system. Lovelock describes the planetary ecosystem as alive because it behaves like a living organism by regulating its temperature and chemistry at a constant state favorable for life to develop.

Another metaphor used by Lovelock is Daisyworld. Daisyworld is a computer-stimulated model of an imaginary planet developed by Lovelock to specifically demonstrate his Gaia hypothesis. In...

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...s blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes" (Dawkins vii). By calling human beings "survival machines" and "robots," Dawkins implies that we are not in control for our own actions. Again, his metaphors takes the reader away from his scientific reasoning and make them think of a distinct individual that is pulling the strings of evolution for its own good. This statement also conjures up moral implications that suggest that we are not in control of our lives and there is no point for our own existence. The point Dawkins wants to make is that metaphorically genes do possess a selfish ability. However, Dawkins' metaphors make it difficult to remove the selfish gene theory from its moral implications.

Bibliography:

WORKS CITED

Dawkins, Richard. "The Selfish Gene." Oxfod University Press, 1989.

Lovelock, James. "The Ages o

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