GAIA AND PHILOSOPHY

The Gaia hypothesis, a scientific treatise developed by atmospheric chemist James Lovelock, supported by microbiologist Lynn Margulis, and named by novelist William Golding in the 1970s, views life as an interconnected system sustained through complex, dynamic responses—from bacteria and algae to animals and plants, all essentially collections of interacting microbes. Rather than a static backdrop for human life, Earth emerges as a responsive, resilient organism, transcending Darwinian survival and selfish gene theories.

A close-up on the circular logic of a living Earth as primarily a microbial phenomenon, this living pamphlet, introduced by Dorian Sagan and ornamented with otherworldly illustrations by visual artist Anicka Yi, dives into the wisdom of nature’s processes to uncover a humbling truth: humanity is but one part of a vast, ongoing symbiosis shaped by life’s ancient, enduring intelligence.