[Discussion] Gaia Hypothesis | Is Earth An Living Organism?

[Multiply]

It's a nice concept for people so that they would perceive the world differently and might act more respectable and responsible for our world, but from a scientific point of view it's bogus.

And the winner of the thread is...

 

[Lightbringer]

I like to view the Earth as being a cosmic seed which sprouts life.

 

[Waindo]

This seems to be more of a philosophical vision to change mankind's perception of the Earth rather than being a scientific theory. This is all about how we should perceive nature and our planet rather than what our planet really is. As a result I find it from a scientific point of view utterly redundant and useless, especially taking into consideration the contradictory nature. If you would follow that "theory" literally, well than whatever we do can never be considered a "mistake" as we are part of the organism and whatever we do is by default justified.

There's a reason why people are so obsessed these days with Mars. Because it's barely a few months away from the Earth, but it's a complete wasteland where scientists already get ecstatic when they find a few pools of water. If our planet had been just been a bit more to the right or left, everything could have been completely different. The Earth didn't decide to exist right in this place because it was convenient for life, the Earth coincidently ended up having all the conditions that enable it to have life. If one of those conditions disappears, it can kill all life just as easy.

This is pretty much the principle of Newton's Third Law, that every action has an equal and opposite reaction or something. When something happens, there will be consequences and these consequences follow the laws of nature. There have been five mass extinctions in the history of our planet. Putting aside the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, which can be considered an external factor, most of the other extinctions happened due to the planet itself. Why? Because an action happened and the reaction was the extinction of nearly all life on earth. Nature does not "undo" or "restore" "mistakes". There will simply be automatic reactions that could both destroy as support life.

When you introduce a new species into an ecosystem and that species ruins the original ecosystem, only mankind would see it that way. In reality the ecosystem merely changed due to the conditions. That's why this theory is more philosophical/ideological than anything else. It gives the impression that there is some kind of an original natural order where everything works harmoniously and that we are screwing it up. It's the complete opposite of that, that's not how nature works. It's a chaotic, merciless world that will automatically destroy anything that will not adapt to the everlasting changes. For every species that exists today countless of others disappeared and I'm pretty sure none of them ever did something wrong to deserve such a fate. Nature consists out of an infinite amount of actions and corresponding reactions, from ones limited to your backyard to ones that cover the entire world.

It's a nice concept for people so that they would perceive the world differently and might act more respectable and responsible for our world, but from a scientific point of view it's bogus.

I concur with almost every single line you wrote up here. As for the part of the quotation I bolded; that's the exact reason why I'm doing these kind of threads (along with the obvious repetativeness, dullness and monotomy of GD section, which needs these kind of threads).

I am aware that it is bogus from a scientific point of view.

 

[Yubel]

The Earth doesn't reproduce, consist of dividing cells, or grow though. It lacks too many characteristics of living things to actually be living.

Why're you treating earth like a person? Are you dumb?
It doesn't need those measures to be considered alive.

 

[Punk Hazard]

Why're you treating earth like a person? Are you dumb?
It doesn't need those measures to be considered alive.

Those are three of the seven characteristics of life...

 

[Yubel]

Those are three of the seven characteristics of life...

Says who?

 

[Punk Hazard]

Says who?

Biology...scientists...for like 200 years...

 

[Waindo]

Biology...scientists...for like 200 years...

Whom also act like they "drank" all the intelligence of the universe; while those same people, along with the rest of us managed to fck up the planet in those measly 200 years, while it was just fine on it's own (w/o humans polluting it) for millions of years.

The planet will truly be fine in time. It will restart itself in 100, 500 or 1000 years, and shake us off like dogs shake off their fleas. The ppl, the ppl are fcked.

 

[Punk Hazard]

Whom also act like they "drank" all the intelligence of the universe; while those same people, along with the rest of us managed to fck up the planet in those measly 200 years, while it was just fine on it's own (w/o humans polluting it) for millions of years.

The planet will truly be fine in time. It will restart itself in 100, 500 or 1000 years, and shake us off like dogs shake off their fleas. The ppl, the ppl are fcked.

Okay? That doesn't change that their word is credible.

 

[Waindo]

Okay? That doesn't change that their word is credible.

You must be registered for see images

 

[Yubel]

Okay? That doesn't change that their word is credible.

Facts change all the time son.

 

[Punk Hazard]

Facts change all the time son.

And this one hasn't.

 

[Son Ryuto Uzumaki]

Imma be real with you bro. Greeks DIDN'T HAVE KNOWLEDGE they were educated. To bad they're moral compass wasn't adjusted, sodomy and pedophilia ah bit. Ofcourse the planet is a living organism. Step outside feel the breeze, thats her and the Sun breathing on us

 

[Yubel]

And this one hasn't.

Well I'm going to atleast keep an open mind to the possibility and not dismiss everything untill science confirms it because they don't know everything and they can be wrong too.

 

[Waindo]

Imma be real with you bro. Greeks DIDN'T HAVE KNOWLEDGE they were educated. To bad they're moral compass wasn't adjusted, sodomy and pedophilia ah bit. Ofcourse the planet is a living organism. Step outside feel the breeze, thats her and the Sun breathing on us

This theory's name os what came from the Greeks. The hypothesis itself was formulated by the chemist James Lovelock and co-developed by the microbiologist Lynn Margulis in the 70-s.

 

[Uzumaki Macho]

Says who?

Did you even take a biology class in high school?

 

[Ripple Hole]

Whom also act like they "drank" all the intelligence of the universe; while those same people, along with the rest of us managed to fck up the planet in those measly 200 years, while it was just fine on it's own (w/o humans polluting it) for millions of years.

The planet will truly be fine in time. It will restart itself in 100, 500 or 1000 years, and shake us off like dogs shake off their fleas. The ppl, the ppl are fcked.

... Humans also wrote our languages .-. It's amazing how you can argue against the definition of something because
it's creators are human.. Even if humans weren't on Earth, there'd always be a dominant species in general capable
of taking out every food source to it's liking, not that there'd even be a need for a predator to do that.

 

[Yubel]

Did you even take a biology class in high school?

Of course I did.

 

[Uzumaki Macho]

Of course I did.

Then you should know the 8 characteristics of life.

 

[Yubel]

Then you should know the 8 characteristics of life.

I don't believe it was mentioned, or maybe I wasn't paying attention or maybe I just forgot like the other 90% of stuff taught in school. Regardless, I like to think outside the box and expand the possibilities of things. It has nothing to do with whether something is right or not.