The Gaia Theory

for the current scientific narrative to guide us toward a planetary community, we must reframe its focus—not by portraying science as the triumph of human reason over the natural world, but as a narrative that situates humanity within the epic vastness of cosmic and evolutionary history.

A recent theory of consciousness posits that intelligent awareness can emerge when the components of a large system have a certain level of interconnectivity. Neurons in the human brain reach the critical threshold. In the presence of these chattering cobbles, it seems obvious to me that, according to that definition, Earth is hyperconscious.

The Roman philosopher Seneca saw the earth as a living organism with springs and rivers flowing through her like blood through veins, with metals and minerals forming slowly in her womb, and morning dew like perspiration on her skin.30

Evolutionary biology is a numinous statement of the interconnectedness of things – a sort of scientific advaita: feel it as well as know it. Feel it to know it properly. What’s an animal?

five successive energy “revolutions” divide up the history of life on Earth thus far. These epochs are labeled as geochemical energy, sunlight, oxygen, flesh, and fire.