Scientists on Gaia (Hardcover)

"Scientists on Gaia" is a multidisciplinary exploration of the controversial Gaia hypothesis which was first phrased by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis in the early 1970s. Forty-four contributions detail the philosophical, empirical, and theoretical foundations of Gaia, mechanisms through which planetwide homeostasis could occur, applicability of the hypothesis to planets other than Earth, possible destabilization by outside forces and public policy implications.;The Gaia hypothesis posits that Earth's physical and biological processes are linked to form a complex, self-regulating system and that life has affected this system over time. Traditional science states that life is primarily a passive passenger on Earth, dependent on the Earth's chemistry, atmosphere, geology, and oceans. The Gaia hypothesis, on the other hand, suggests that life is an active participant in shaping the physical and chemical environment on which life also depends. "Scientists on Gaia" provides a mulltilensed examination of the hypothesis, shows how Gaia can be formulated as a scientific hypothesis rather than some kind of New Age philosophy, and addresses significant changes in the hypothesis since its conception.