02 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
How Ballooning Changed Our Perspective of the Earth
Ballooning produced a new, and wholly unexpected, vision of the earth. It had been imagined that it would reveal the secrets of the heavens above, but in fact it showed the secrets of the world beneath. The early aeronauts suddenly saw the earth as a giant organism, mysteriously patterned and unfolding, like a living creature. For the first time the impact of man on nature was clearly revealed: the ever-expanding relationship of towns to countryside, roads to rivers, cultivated fields to fore... 1 
notes
notesThe same way the "Earthrise" photo changed our perspective, ballooning revealed the Earth to be a dynamic, interconnected organism.
01 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Spaceship Earth Has 150 Admirals
Spaceship Earth now has 150 admirals. The five admirals in the
staterooms immediately above the ship's fuel tanks claim that they own
the oil. The admirals with staterooms surrounding the ship's kitchen,
dining rooms, and food refrigerators claim they own all the food. Those
with a stateroom next to a lifeboat claim that they own the lifeboat,
and so forth. They then have an onboard game called balance of trade.
Very shortly the majority of admirals have a deficit balance. All the
while the s... 1 notes
notesAnd they are all working selfishly and plotting against one another while no one is steering the ship.
28 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Humans Have to Keep the World Going
Pelorat said, "You know what that reminds me of? -Pardon me, Bliss, for interrupting, but it so fits that I can't resist telling you right now before I forget. There's an old creation myth I once came across; a myth in which life was formed on a planet and consisted of only a limited assortment of species, just those useful to or pleasant for humanity. The first human beings then did something silly-never mind what, old fellow, because those old myths are usually symbolic and only confusing i... 1 notes
notesAfter they remove the natural components they dislike but that also kept the natural system in balance.
28 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Perspectives on Gaia
TREVIZE WAS surrounded by the tameness of Gaia. The temperature, as always, was comfortable, and the air moved pleasantly, refreshing but not chilling. Clouds drifted across the sky, interrupting the sunlight now and then, and, no doubt, if the water vapor level per meter of open land surface dropped sufficiently in this place or that, there would be enough rain to restore it.
The trees grew in regular spacings, like an orchard, and did so, no doubt, all over the world. The land and sea were...Folksonomies: gaia gaia hypothesis
Folksonomies: gaia gaia hypothesis
1 notes
notesSelections from "Foundation and Earth" on the fictional world Gaia, which is a more concrete example of Lovelock's almost metaphorical description of Earth as a living being.
17 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Seeing the Species for the Ecosystem
The authors comment that from this perspective, it could be stated that multiccellular beings are also ecosystems. That is, we are formed by different types of cells that cooperate and compete for resources; we are colonized by diverse types of bacteria (in the intestines, in the skin, etc.) whose activity is linked to other processes in our organism: we are invaded by viruses, which can be harmful or can take part in processes that regulate our DNA. "These beings are constantly being changed... 1 notes
notesIt is helpful to think of species in the context of the ecosystem in which they live, as they are an part of it, indistinguishable from it in very important ways. Any single species' ecosystem includes all of the other species within it.
