Preparing for the Miraculous

2012 and 1956: Doomsday? 99New Age interpretations of the Gaia hypothesis, in their effortto conform to scientific norms and make the hypothesisgenerally acceptable. The original hypothesis postulated,according to Lovelock himself, “that life on Earth activelykeeps the surface conditions always favourable for whateveris the contemporary ensemble of organisms.” Promoted to ascientific theory, this “supposition” was reworded and Gaiabecame “a view of the Earth that sees it as a self-regulat ingsystem made up from the totality of organisms, the surfacerocks, the ocean and the atmosphere tightly coupled as anevolving system. The theory sees this system as having agoal: the regulation of surface conditions so as always to beas favourable as possible for contemporary life. It is basedon observations and theoretical models; it is fruitful andhas made ten successful predictions” 8 – predictions being aprerequisite to render any theory scientific.Behind it all is the conviction that Gaia and her denizensare in serious trouble. In The Revenge of Gaia, Lovelockwrote as recently as 2006: “I make no apologies forrepeating that Gaia is an evolutionary system in whichany species, including humans, that persists with changesto the environment that lessen the survival of its progenyis doomed to extinction. By massively taking land to feedpeople and by fouling the air and water we are hamperingGaia’s ability to regulate the Earth’s climate and chemistry,and if we continue to do it we are in danger of extinction.We have in a sense stumbled into a war with Gaia, a warthat we have no hope of winning. All that we can do is tomake peace while we are still strong and not a broken rabble.”9 His warning is grave: “Now humanity and the Earthface a deadly peril, with little time left to escape.”8 James Lovelock: op. cit., p. 208.9 Id., pp. 139-140.