ABSTRACT
The Gaia hypothesis or theory that the earth along with its inhabitants is a single living organism is a combined development of environmental speculations contributed by James Lovelock (see Lovelock, James), Fritjof Capra, David Bohm and Rupert Sheldrake. Foremost is Lovelock who followed author William Golding’s suggestion and selected the Greek earth-goddess designation, Gaia/Ge, for a planet-sized entity that could not be predicted from the sum of its parts. Lovelock promoted the idea that the entire range of living matter on the planet may be considered an organic entity in itself-one capable of manipulating the terrestrial atmosphere daily to fit and host earth’s constituent parts. This manipulator Lovelock argued is life itself.
