Spherical Thinking

The fundamental interdependence of all phenomena

(With acknowledgment to "Towards Gondwana Alive"

The Gaia Hypothesis (1974)

"... the Gaia hypothesis ... suggests that the entire range of living matter on Earth, from whales to viruses, can be regarded as a single entity, capable of manipulating its environment to suit its needs.... We defined Gaia as a complex entity involving the Earth's biosphere, atmosphere, oceans, and soil, the totality constituting a "feedback" or "cybernetic" system which seeks an optimal physical and chemical environment for life on this planet."

- James Lovelock, in "The Gaia Atlas of Planet Management" (1985)

Holism (1925)

"The gist of (Smuts') treatise is the presupposition of Wholeness (Holism) as a fundamental factor in the universe, operative towards the creation and self-perfection of Wholes in an evolutionary process. It is maintained that matter, life and mind are not disparate phenomena, but manifestations of the cardinal principle of Wholeness...."

- Jan Smuts, "Holism and Evolution" (1925)

The Web of Life

Deep ecology

"The new paradigm may be called a holistic worldview, seeing the world as an integrated whole rather than a disassociated collection of parts. It may also be called an ecological view, if the term "ecological" is used in a much broader and deeper sense than usual. Deep ecological awareness recognizes the fundamental interdependence of all phenomena and the fact that, as individuals and societies, we are all embedded in (and ultimately dependent on) the cyclical processes of nature."

- Fritjof Capra, "The Web of Life" (1996)

Consilience

The Unity of Knowledge

"... the Ionian Enchantment ... means a belief in the unity of the sciences - a conviction, far deeper than a mere working proposition, that the world is orderly and can be explained by a small number of natural laws. Its roots go back to Thales of Miletus, in Ionia, in the sixth century B.C. ...

Its central tenet, as Einstein knew, is the unification of knowledge. When we have unified enough certain knowledge, we will understand who we are and why we are here."

- Edward O. Wilson, "Consilience" (1998)