The double look on complex dimension
What is Nature? Two ways of seeing Nature: its own and ours. Among militant ecologists this way is an anthropomorphic idealism rather than Nature per se. Gaia is as much “Mother Nature” as the God with the big white beard sitting on His cloud is “Father of All Men”. And not so much women, by … Read more
The notion of the Anthropocene is at the heart of a brief by Pour la Science. What is its use? Has the Earth really changed era or is it an intellectual masturbation of the newest mosquitoes that inhabit it? The file contains 3 articles, 1 exciting framed by 2 fades. Canned land at the Academy … Read more
Gaia’s Ups and Downs The Gaia hypothesis, Earth as a living organism, dates back to the 70s (proposed by chemist James Lovelock and microbiologist Lynn Margulis). Initially treated as New Age delirium, Gaia eventually found scientific credit, as a vast system of interconnected lives. The natural sciences today are deeply imbued with this concept. But … Read more
The flaws of an anarchist ecology What about the ecologist galaxy? It has its scientists, its spokesmen, its parties, its extremists. No governance. Undoubtedly its major handicap in the face of highly structured mega-industries. Lack of direction that leaves opponents’ lines in the running. Some, radical, cause great harm to the movement. Serene anarchism in … Read more
Accurate data but a suspicious interpretation Is population growth one of the time bombs that threaten the planet? No, says Marie Degrémont in La Recherche. “The states with the highest fertility are also those with the lowest per capita CO2 emission rate.” But I have a hard time finding coherence in Mary’s projections. India and … Read more