Could our planet be something
other than a living thing? Could it have a mind of its own? In a recent article
that appeared in the International Journal of Astrobiology, a group of scientists posed these queries. Their "planetary intelligence" theory investigates the possibility that Earth has a collective knowledge and intellect.
Although this concept might sound like something out of a science
fiction film, the researchers think it might have real-world applications.
Understanding the idea of a planet displaying intelligence could provide us
with important new perspectives on dealing with urgent global problems like
climate change. In addition, it could help us in our search for
extraterrestrial life.
The researchers call attention to indications of communicative
underground fungal networks. They suggest that these networks might be a sign
of a massive, planetary-scale invisible intelligence. It is clear that human
activity has significantly impacted the environment, as seen by the climate
crisis and the widespread use of plastic, as well as other environmental
changes like them.
Coauthor of the study and University of Rochester professor of
physics Adam Frank highlights that humanity is now unable to act as a whole in
a way that is beneficial to the planet. Investigating the idea of planetary
intelligence can help us comprehend and lessen our impact on the earth. As only
those capable of reaching a real planetary intelligence level would be visible
to us, it may also provide light on other planets' civilizations.
The strength of this research area resides in its capacity to connect our knowledge of surviving climate catastrophe with that of the evolution of life and intellect on any planet. Thinking about the possibility that Earth itself might be intelligent helps us see our relationship to the environment and the pressing need for change from a different angle. This thought experiment pushes us to reconsider our behavior and look for opportunities to promote a more peaceful coexistence with our planet.
.jpg)
.png)
1 Comments
GAEAGENESIS: CONCEPTION AND BIRTH OF THE LIVING EARTH
ReplyDeleteOberon Zell (2022) Black Moon Publishing
Synopsis:
In the early 1970s, noted philosopher and mystic Oberon Zell was the first to propose and publish the radical idea that the biosphere of Earth is a single vast living organism. His initial article on the subject electrified the emerging modern movement of Earth-based spirituality. GAEAGENESIS: CONCEPTION AND BIRTH OF THE LIVING EARTH culminates five decades of work developing Zell's thesis: the proposition that Mother Earth is a living, sentient being with a “soul” that humans can perceive if they are aware enough to sense it. In essence, the living beings that populate the Earth are cells within the greater macro-organism we call “Gaea.”
Back cover text:
“Oberon Zell was the first person to conceive and publish the biological and metaphysical foundations of what has become known as the ‘Gaia Theory’— the unified body and emergent soul of the living Earth. Oberon’s profound reconciliation of science, mythology and spirituality inspired and infused worldwide neo-Pagan, panentheistic movement. His visionary sculpture of the ‘Millennial Gaia’ is a three-dimensional revelation, an artistic masterpiece that fuses evolutionary biology with sculptural elegance. For over 50 years Oberon has been writing and lecturing on Gaian consciousness, and it is high time that he put it all together into a book!” ~ Ralph Metzner, Ph.D. (Professor Emeritus, California Institute of Integral Studies & Founder-President, The Green Earth Foundation)
___________________________
In the early 1970s, noted philosopher and mystic Oberon Zell was the first to propose and publish the radical idea that the biosphere of Earth is a single vast living organism. His initial article on the subject electrified the emerging modern movement of Earth-based spirituality.
The excitement was the result of a simple yet profound idea. Imagine for a moment that Earth is alive. Not just teeming with living things, but a living, vital organism. This is more than imagination or mere metaphor. GaeaGenesis is the first work to fully integrate the mythological, spiritual, biological, and social history of what has become known as the Gaea Thesis. It expands upon this history by exploring the profound implications of this paradigm, which is as significant to our understanding of the world and our place in it as Galileo’s heliocentric theory of the solar system and Darwin’s theory of evolution.
GAEAGENESIS: CONCEPTION AND BIRTH OF THE LIVING EARTH culminates five decades of work developing Zell's thesis, building on his own original ideas as well as those of renowned scientists, philosophers and spiritualists who preceded and followed him. Foundationally, GaeaGenesis builds upon the author's original paper: “TheaGenesis: The Birth of the Goddess,” which appeared in Green Egg magazine in June of 1971.
The present book takes the idea beyond the metaphorical realm postulated by James Lovelock in his “Gaia Hypothesis” and posits that the entire evolution of life on Earth is the literal embryology of a single vast living being — one replicating continuum of DNA and protoplasm. This distinction has significant implications for the subject of this book: the proposition that Mother Earth is a living, sentient being with a “soul” that humans can perceive if they are aware enough to sense it. In essence, the living beings that populate the Earth are cells within a greater macro-organism.