Can science and religon find common ground in the Gaia Hypothesis?
Well, it depends on how you define “religion”. Let’s start with this one, from the OED: the belief in a superhuman controlling power, esp. in a personal God or gods entitled to obedience and worship.Gaia is certainly superhuman, and if we twist the point of view just a little we can say that she has a lot of influence over human affairs. It’s not the kind of influence we usually imagine of a deity (say, Apollo stepping in to fight on behalf of the Trojans, or Yahweh rewarding the virtuous and punishing sinners in the afterlife), but it can fit the definition. Worship The sticking point is on “worship”. The Lovelock Gaia does not hear worship, as she has no ears, at least not ears attuned to human speech. She does not care who wins basketball games, or who lives and dies. You can praise her, but she treats you the same whether you praise her, curse her, or ignore her. You can beg for rain but it won’t help. You need to be attuned to her will if you’re going to survive, but she won’t tel
