ABSTRACT
This chapter first asks what ‘Gaia’ is (as proposed by James Lovelock), then considers whether it is alive, and secondarily, sentient. It discusses the debate that has raged in academia over the term. The chapter then looks at how worldview can influence views about Gaia, with those who are anthropocentric (and mechanistic) tending to deny Gaia exists, while those who are holistic (and ecocentric) tend to lean towards it. The chapter concludes by considering whether Gaia is central to humanity feeling a sense of wonder or whether it is a tangent that makes little real difference.
