A groundbreaking look at Gaia theory’s intersections with
neocybernetic systems theory  Often seen as an outlier in
science, Gaia has run a long and varied course since its
formulation in the 1970s by atmospheric chemist James Lovelock and
microbiologist Lynn Margulis. Gaian Systems is a pioneering
exploration of the dynamic and complex evolution of Gaia’s many
variants, with special attention to Margulis’s foundational role
in these developments. Bruce Clarke assesses the different dialects
of systems theory brought to bear on Gaia discourse. Focusing in
particular on Margulis’s work—including multiple pieces of her
unpublished Gaia correspondence—he shows how her research and
that of Lovelock was concurrent and conceptually parallel with the
new discourse of self-referential systems that emerged within
neocybernetic systems theory. The recent Gaia writings of Donna
Haraway, Isabelle Stengers, and Bruno Latour contest its cybernetic
status. Clarke engages Latour on the issue of Gaia’s systems
description and extends his own systems-theoretical synthesis under
what he terms “metabiotic Gaia.” This study illuminates current
issues in neighboring theoretical conversations—from biopolitics
and the immunitary paradigm to NASA astrobiology and the
Anthropocene. Along the way, he points to science fiction as a
vehicle of Gaian thought. Delving into many issues not
previously treated in accounts of Gaia, Gaian Systems describes the
history of a theory that has the potential to help us survive an
environmental crisis of our own making.
General
| Imprint: |
University of Minnesota Press
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Series: |
Posthumanities |
| Release date: |
September 2020 |
| First published: |
2020 |
| Authors: |
Bruce Clarke
|
| Dimensions: |
216 x 140 x 38mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Paperback
|
| Pages: |
336 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-1-5179-0912-3 |
| Categories: |
Books
|
| LSN: |
1-5179-0912-0 |
| Barcode: |
9781517909123 |
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