Gaia: Argument over a single word
THESIS: Life on earth has been considered by some as a purposeful interaction tending toward ecological stability. However, when the scientific community led by James Lovelock tried to match this concept with science, it was (and continues to be) a dilemma.
Introduction
Whenever one hears the word Gaia, he or she will also hear life, goddess, purpose, ecology, and undoubtedly controversy. Not many topics have provoked more controversy among the scientific community than the idea that the atmosphere, biosphere, and its living organisms behave as a single system, striving to maintain a stability that is conducive to the existence of life—the so-called Gaia theory or Gaia hypothesis.
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On the other hand, the idea—which, in my opinion, should be seen more naturally—is attracting more and more followers. Scientists have begun to consider the topic since the beginning of the last decade, because the pertinent nature of it requires them to do so. Linden states that at the end of the first conference on Gaia in 1988, James Lovelock, a highly respected biologist and the author of the theory, received a great ovation . But the idea which supposes that all species and living matter on the earth are able to interact and maintain the process of life is not actually original to Lovelock. Although most people believe Lovelock was the first scientist to think up the Gaia hypothesis, it was actually in 1785 when Scottish geologist James Hutton had figured it out already. It was not until the 1970s that the theory started to gain force, when Lovelock collaborated with Lynn Margulis, a renowned microbiologist ( 114).
Lovelock started to think about the hypothesis for the first time in the 1960s, when he was asked by NASA to help to design life-detecting instruments to determine if there is life on Mars. He supposed that, were there life on Mars, the atmospheric composition and balance of gases would be equal to or at least similar to the earth's (Morton 96). Gases, as well as
Section 1: Question 1 – The society of Gattaca works to repress rather than to enhance the potential of human beings. Discuss.
In “Defining Life”, Josh Gabbatiss expresses the difficulty of distinguishing between the living and the inanimate, and examines various attempts at this age-old yet still developing struggle through the perspectives of virology, chemistry, astro-biology, technology, and philosophy. “Defining Life” is contextualized by an extensive history of deliberation by both modern and historical figures such as Aristotle and Carl Sagan, and institutions such as NASA and the Christian Church. The relevance of this article is also shown through current advancements in physical and life sciences, engineering, and philosophical
The story of Vincent shows in Gattaca that there is possibility of beating the genetic engineering system. Vincent is one of the last naturally born babies born into a sterile, genetically enhanced world, where life expectancy and disease likelihood are ascertained at birth. Myopic and due to die at 30, he has no chance of a career in a society that now discriminates against your genes, instead of your gender, race or religion. Vincent an invalid, dreams of working within Gattaca and making it into space. He combines with Jerome who was disabled in an accident to take his identity and live his life to enter the Gattaca Corporation. Vincent is selected for his lifelong desire, a manned mission to Titan.
The movie “Gattaca” is a sci-fi movie that takes place in “the not-too-distant” future, where genetic engineering of humans is common. In this sci-fi future, class differences are construct is primarily determined by your DNA. In the movie society’s culture is ingrained with eugenics, evident by the clear institutionalized discrimination. Eugenics is a set of beliefs and practices that aim at improving the genetic quality of the human population. Eugenics is not a “new” concept, people have been discriminating based on looks ever since prehistoric times. The movie inspired me to do some research on popular eugenics movements in the post-industrial age (1850-present). My primary goal of was to identify the motives behind early eugenics
Stanley Miller started the idea that life could have started when carbon and other ingredients combined. He assembled a contraption made out of flasks and tombs in the lab. He fill one flask with gases to represent Earth's primitive atmosphere and connected that to another flask with water to represent the ocean. He put an electric charge through that.simulated lightning going through early atmosphere. After a couple of day, all this brown goo all over the reaction vessel. He said, now he had amino acids in the vessel. Amino acids are compounds that are form when carbon and other elements linked together. They are building block of protiens and cell, which were vital ingredients of all living things. His experiment showed that life can be formed in the harsh condition of early earth.
The study of science is defined as that which deals with the workings of the physical world we are able to observe and measure. The origin of life, however, is a topic that science has long grappled with, despite the impossibility of observing or proving any origins theory in a strictly scientific manner. Today, the widely accepted theory of life’s beginning is the theory of Evolution by mutation and natural selection, or Neo-Darwinism. Most people in our modern society accept this theory at face value because it is popular with the majority of scientists, but it must always be taken into account that our origins cannot be proven scientifically and that, in fact, the theory of Evolution is not the only or even the most logical theory
Gattaca is a science-fiction thriller movie, directed by Andrew Niccol. It presents a story of the future prospect of genetic engineering and how it will affect human society. Gattaca gives one perspective of how the future of discrimination is no longer determined by social status or the colour of skin because the discrimination is now down to a science, Vincent: "I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the colour of your skin. No, we now have discrimination down to a science." The better the genes in your body are the better job you will get. In the future world, like presented
Georgia is a real attractive place and is definitely the ultimate model of the New South, a fast-paced fashionable city. You won't be in short supply of a whole lot of something to enjoy.
As a society, each and every one of us possesses an inner strength that aids us to overcome the impediments in life that we may face. This inner strength is what we call our human spirit.
The gadfly metaphor that Socrates uses seems to suggest that the value of philosophy is invaluable. He states that a great and noble horse has become sluggish, which symbolizes that the people of the city were ignorant and unmotivated in their pursuit of life. Socrates, at this time, declares that “the god” placed him in that city so that he would be to the people like a gadfly is to a horse. A gadfly is a fly that that provokes or annoys an animal into action. This provocation that Socrates uses is “philosophy”.
Times. http://www.nytimes.com.2008/02/19/world /americas/19iht-princeton.1.10175351.html Fitzsimmons, W. 2014. Time out or Burn out for the Next Generation. Retrieved from
In Respect for Nature, Paul Taylor develops the following four elements of the biocentric outlook on nature:
Life has continually perplexed and fascinated individuals since the dawn of mankind. The subject’s complexity is so great even over the course of human existence only a minute fraction of its mysteries have been unraveled. A phenomenon which has always intrigued scientists is the origin of life on Earth, and in recent years significant advancements have been made in the understanding of this enigma. This essay will briefly outline two theories regarding life’s origin on Earth to further comprehend why an explanation for this phenomenon has been so difficult to reach.
James Lovelock created the Gaia theory back in 1974 after work with NASA while he figured out there is most likely no life on mars. He named it after the Greek goddess Gaia. He gained support from microbiologist Lynn Margullis. But many people ask said that this is not a real theory and is fake because it is un scientific and can’t be tested. But James also made a good point on why it is real be finding evidence on why it is. He thinks that earth reacts as if it was a living individual.
Starting over 500 years ago with Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton paving the way for the possibility of new scientific exploration into studies such as “stratigraphy, the study of the rock and soil layers of the earth” by Robert Hooke and Carolus Linnaeus’ study of taxonomy, “the system of naming and classifying organisms” based on morphological similarities and differences, humanity would begin to uncrack the code of where life came from in a nonbiblical sense. (Fuentes, 26) Further studies by George-Louis Leclerc – Comte du Buffon, Erasmus Darwin (Charles’ grandfather), Georges Cuvier, James Hutton and Charles Lyell as well as Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet – Chevalier de Lamarck’s studies in which he “correctly identified the environment as a challenge to organisms and adaptation as the result of changing to meet environmental challenges” helped prompt the formulation of the current understanding of evolution by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace each in their own special way.