Gaian Greens
Encyclopedia
A Gaian is a radical Green
who views the ecology
of the Earth's biosphere
not only as the basis of human moral examples, but of all cognition
and even sentience
. Advocates of this view claim that since we live as part of one planet's photosynthesis
chain and are trapped within its gravity well, we are effectively components of one large body—that being the global ecology of Earth itself.
Another name for this value theory
is "radical values environmentalism," which holds that individuals and societies are ways to create such a thriving ecosystem
, but cannot be considered as being ends in themselves.
An early advocate of this view was Buckminster Fuller
, who developed the Dymaxion Map
of the world, the first world projection to show the continent
s on a flat surface without visible distortion—and the earth as being essentially one island in one ocean
. In Critical Path
, 1981, he claimed to prove that "gravity is love." Critics say this view makes humans "slaves of the Earth" and argue that human destiny is to spread out to find or form many living worlds. In contrast, some Gaians see such colonists as locusts or a disease, and may see all human beings as elements of a single Earth-wide ecology, if not organism
. They are often hard to differentiate from members of the New Age
movement, with which they share the goal of deep spiritual
integration.
Political Gaians are a relatively recent offshoot of the ecology movement
—and get their name from the Gaia hypothesis
, a postulate first devised by James Lovelock
holding that the biosphere
tends to homeorhetic balance or even homeostasis
(with the implication that human beings should be working toward such balances or states.)
Greens
Greens may refer to:*Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc.-Politics:Supranational* Green politics* Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics* Global Greens...
who views the ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
of the Earth's biosphere
Biosphere
The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
not only as the basis of human moral examples, but of all cognition
Cognition
In science, cognition refers to mental processes. These processes include attention, remembering, producing and understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions. Cognition is studied in various disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science...
and even sentience
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
. Advocates of this view claim that since we live as part of one planet's photosynthesis
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
chain and are trapped within its gravity well, we are effectively components of one large body—that being the global ecology of Earth itself.
Another name for this value theory
Value theory
Value theory encompasses a range of approaches to understanding how, why and to what degree people should value things; whether the thing is a person, idea, object, or anything else. This investigation began in ancient philosophy, where it is called axiology or ethics. Early philosophical...
is "radical values environmentalism," which holds that individuals and societies are ways to create such a thriving ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
, but cannot be considered as being ends in themselves.
An early advocate of this view was Buckminster Fuller
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
, who developed the Dymaxion Map
Dymaxion map
The Dymaxion map or Fuller map is a projection of a world map onto the surface of a polyhedron, which can be unfolded and flattened to two dimensions. The projection depicts the earth's continents as "one island," or nearly contiguous land masses. The arrangement heavily interrupts the map in order...
of the world, the first world projection to show the continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
s on a flat surface without visible distortion—and the earth as being essentially one island in one ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
. In Critical Path
Critical Path (book)
Critical Path is a book written by US author and inventor R. Buckminster Fuller with the assistance of Kiyoshi Kuromiya. First published in 1981, it is alongside Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth one of Fuller's best-known works...
, 1981, he claimed to prove that "gravity is love." Critics say this view makes humans "slaves of the Earth" and argue that human destiny is to spread out to find or form many living worlds. In contrast, some Gaians see such colonists as locusts or a disease, and may see all human beings as elements of a single Earth-wide ecology, if not organism
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
. They are often hard to differentiate from members of the New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
movement, with which they share the goal of deep spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
integration.
Political Gaians are a relatively recent offshoot of the ecology movement
Ecology movement
The global ecology movement is based upon environmental protection, and is one of several new social movements that emerged at the end of the 1960s. As a values-driven social movement, it should be distinguished from the pre-existing science of ecology....
—and get their name from the Gaia hypothesis
Gaia hypothesis
The Gaia hypothesis, also known as Gaia theory or Gaia principle, proposes that all organisms and their inorganic surroundings on Earth are closely integrated to form a single and self-regulating complex system, maintaining the conditions for life on the planet.The scientific investigation of the...
, a postulate first devised by James Lovelock
James Lovelock
James Lovelock, CH, CBE, FRS is an independent scientist, environmentalist and futurologist who lives in Devon, England. He is best known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, which postulates that the biosphere is a self-regulating entity with the capacity to keep our planet healthy by controlling...
holding that the biosphere
Biosphere
The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
tends to homeorhetic balance or even homeostasis
Homeostasis
Homeostasis is the property of a system that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition of properties like temperature or pH...
(with the implication that human beings should be working toward such balances or states.)
See also
- List of Green party issues
- Green politicsGreen politicsGreen politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
- Green movementGreen MovementThe Green Movement refers to a series of actions after the 2009 Iranian presidential election, in which protesters demanded the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office...
- :Category:Green political parties