Gaia - A New Look At Life on Earth

In this classic work that continues to inspire many readers, Jim Lovelock puts forward his idea that the Earth functions as a single organism. Written for non-scientists, Gaia is a journey through time and space in search of evidence in support of a radically different model of our planet. In contrast to conventional belief that life is passive in the face of threats to its existence, the book explores the hypothesis that the Earth's living matter influences air, ocean, and rock to form a complex, self-regulating system that has the capacity to keep the Earth a fit place for life. Since Gaia was first published, Jim Lovelock's hypothesis has become a hotly debated topic in scientific circles. In a new Preface to this edition, he outlines his view of the present state of the debate. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think.

List of contents

• Preface


• 1: Introductory


• 2: In the beginning


• 3: The recognition of Gaia


• 4: Cybernetics


• 5: The contemporary atmosphere


• 6: The sea


• 7: Gaia and Man: the problem of pollution


• 8: Living within Gaia


• 9: Epilogue


• Definitions and explanations of terms


• Further reading

Summary

Gaia, in which James Lovelock puts forward his inspirational and controversial idea that the Earth functions as a single organism, with life influencing planetary processes to form a self-regulating system aiding its own survival, is now a classic work that continues to provoke heated scientific debate.

Product details

• Authors: James Lovelock, Lovelock James
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 10.05.2016
• EAN: 9780198784883
• ISBN: 978-0-19-878488-3
• No. of pages: 176
• Dimensions: 129 mm x 195 mm x 10 mm
• Series: Oxford Landmark Science; Oxford Landmark Science
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Humanities (general); Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology; BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Development / Sustainable Development, Sustainability, Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection, popular science, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Environmental Policy, SCIENCE / General, Environmentalist thought and ideology