1st Edition

An Analysis of James E. Lovelock's Gaia A New Look at Life on Earth

By Mohammad Shamsudduha Copyright 2017
    112 Pages
    by Macat Library

    112 Pages
    by Macat Library

    Gaia: A New Look At Life on Earth may continue to divide opinion, but nobody can deny that the book offers a powerful insight into the creative thinking of its author, James E. Lovelock.

    Published in 1979, Gaia offered a radically new hypothesis: the Earth, Lovelock argued, is a living entity. Together, the planet and all its separate living organisms form a single self-regulating body, sustaining life and helping it evolve through time. Lovelock sees humans as no more special than other elements of the planet, railing against the once widely-held belief that the good of mankind is the only thing that matters.

    Despite being seen as radical, and even idiotic on its publication, a version of Lovelock’s viewpoint has found resonance in contemporary debates about the environment and climate, and has now broadly come to be accepted by modern thinkers. As man’s effects on the climate become increasingly extreme, more and more elements of the Earth’s self-regulation seem to be unveiled – forcing scientists to ask how far the planet might be able to go in order self-regulate effectively. Indeed, despite its far-fetched elements, Lovelock’s Gaia thesis seems to ring more convincingly today than ever before; that it does is largely a result of the critical thinking skills that allowed Lovelock to produce novel explanations for existing evidence and, above all, to connect existing fragments of evidence together in new ways.

    Ways in to the text 

    Who is James E. Lovelock?  

    What does Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth Say? 

    Why does  Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth Matter?  

    Section 1: Influences 

    Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context 

    Module 2: Academic Context 

    Module 3: The Problem 

    Module 4: The Author's Contribution 

    Section 2: Ideas 

    Module 5: Main Ideas 

    Module 6: Secondary Ideas 

    Module 7: Achievement 

    Module 8: Place in the Author's Work 

    Section 3: Impact 

    Module 9: The First Responses 

    Module 10: The Evolving Debate 

    Module 11: Impact and Influence Today 

    Module 12: Where Next? 

    Glossary of Terms 

    People Mentioned in the Text 

    Works Cited

    Biography

    Dr Mohammad Shamsudduha holds a PhD in hydrogeology from University College, London. He is currently a researcher at the University College, London, Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction.