Re: James Lovelock, Homage to Gaia
- From: "kevinmccabe@xxxxxxxxx" <kevinmccabe@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 20 Jan 2006 22:42:32 -0800
Peter D. Tillman wrote:
> James Lovelock, Homage to Gaia (©2000)
> [slightly off-topic for rasfw, but WTH]
>
> This is his autobiography, written at age 80. Lovelock is best-known for
> formulating the Gaia hypothesis, that the Earth is, metaphorically, a
> global superorganism: life regulates its environment to be more
> favorable for life, by the familiar and everyday process of natural
> selection. For example, a higher CO2 level in the atmosphere will result
> in more luxuriant plant growth, which will lower the CO2 content [1].
>
> Lovelock, who has a Ph.D in medicine, had a long career as a working
> scientist and inventor. He invented the exquisitely-sensitive
> electron-capture detector, and used it to pioneer measuurements of
> fluorocarbons in the atmosphere, work which led to the banning of Freon
> as a hazard to the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere.
>
> Lovelock is appropriately skeptical about the rhetorical excesses in the
> "Ozone Wars", and deplores the continued misuse of science in
> environmemtalism-as-religion. He's well-aware of the misuse of his Gaia
> "earth-mother" metaphor by muddle-headed New Agers, but gave numerous
> lectures to religious groups at the time the Gaia hypothesis was
> struggling for scientific respectability, which couldn't have helped his
> case. Lovelock himself is an agnostic, a fiercely-independent
> iconoclast, and an old-fashioned, very British eccentric scholar.
>
> Lovelock spent most of his career as an independent scientist and
> consultant, a difficult path for a research scientist but one which
> suited his personality -- and his desire to live and work in a rural
> setting. He's an interesting man and an influential scientist. His
> memoir is somewhat repetitive and overlong, and he sometimes sounds like
> a querulous old fart -- but if you have admired Lovelock's scientific
> work, you will enjoy reading about his life.
>
> Lovelock himself is a science-fiction fan -- as was William Golding, a
> neighbor who named the Gaia hypothesis. Lovelock co-wrote one
> science-fiction (sort-of) novel, _The Greening of Mars_ -- and his
> critics gleefully (and unfairly) labelled his Gaia work as
> science-fantasy. His work has held up pretty well, and his ideas are
> becoming mainstream in the earth and life-sciences -- though many of his
> successors avoid the "tainted" Gaia label.
>
> Lovelock's memoir has an interesting account of his progress from an
> unquestioning young Socialist in the 1930's to an admirer of Lady
> Thatcher. His uncritical admiration for the British National Health
> Service continues, even after a disastrous operation that permanently
> damaged his urethra, apparently due to a 'labour action' by the union at
> his hospital. Oddly enough.
>
> Lovelock is currently campaigning for nuclear power, as a way out of
> global-warming. His book has kind words for the industries he's worked
> in, especially Shell Oil. My kind of Green.
>
> Links:
>
> Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lovelock
>
> Lovelock's official website: http://www.ecolo.org/lovelock/lovebioen.htm
Actually, I think he gave up on nukes about a week ago. He wrtote an
article in The Independant indicating it was too late for action and
advised governments, particularly the U.K, to plan for the worst. Its
good to know that he thought folk were going too far with Gaia
metaphor. Unfortunate, his support for Shell. There actions in Nigeria
have been inexcusable.
McCabe
.
- References:
- James Lovelock, Homage to Gaia
- From: Peter D. Tillman
- James Lovelock, Homage to Gaia
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