Dr Bob's Blog

Response to Econation

James Lovelock’s latest book “The Revenge of Gaia” is based on the Gaia theory that he developed with evolutionary biologist Lyn Margulis. I feel that an earlier book of Lovelock’s, “The Practical Science of Planetary Medicine” to be a more helpful assessment of the responses we should take to the threats the Earth faces from the excesses of human activity.

In “The Practical Science …” Lovelock argues that we know very little about the details of the way in which Gaia works. Gaia is a scientific theory that has proved very useful in making predictions about a small number of the ways that Gaia operates, but the theory is very new and there are huge gaps in our knowledge. Since we know so little about the details of Gaia we should refrain from trying to “manage” Gaia. The only sensible thing to do is to refrain from activities that contribute to problems like acid rain, ozone depletion, the warming of the Earth and degradation of soils and water.

Since the publication of “The Practical Science …”, which was in 1991 Lovelock has had a chance to assess things and obviously believes that it’s too late to do anything more than mitigate the likely consequences of  Gaia’s revenge arising out of human excesses. My understanding of the crisis to the Earth’s health is informed by the Gaia theory but I prefer to take a more optimistic view that human beings can transform across a wide spectrum to allow the Earth to heal itself in a way that will be kind to humans, although one has to respect the views of a major thinker like Lovelock.

In the earlier work Lovelock advocates that we make dramatic changes to our lifestyle, and this is my response. My belief is that there are four major transformations that must occur if Gaia is to heal itself in a way favourable to continued human existence:

• A major leap in the consciousness and awareness of all people where valuing the Earth and all creatures is a cornerstone of the consciousness that we call cosmic consciousness;

• Building communities of solidarity based on what I call an cosmic mode of communication;

• Helping individuals develop what I call advanced awareness and communication capacities;

• Creating what Ervin Laszlo calls intensive economic growth that is focused on developing individuals, communities and ecologies that is sustainable rather than extensive growth that colonizes and consumes resources in an unsustainable way   

The first and third of these transformations involve individual transformation, the second and fourth involves transformations at the collective level.

I am interested in the first and third of these transformations and I am concentrating at this time on the first of these transformations. It is interesting to see the Econation’s focus is more on the fourth of the transformations, and this needs to be encouraged. It will be important to find ways for those working across the spectrum to coordinate their activities.