Description: Gaian Systems by Bruce Clarke "A groundbreaking look at Gaia theorys intersections with neocybernetic systems theory"-- FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description A groundbreaking look at Gaia theorys intersections with neocybernetic systems theory Often seen as an outlier in science, Gaia has run a long and varied course since its formulation in the 1970s by atmospheric chemist James Lovelock and microbiologist Lynn Margulis. Gaian Systems is a pioneering exploration of the dynamic and complex evolution of Gaias many variants, with special attention to Marguliss foundational role in these developments.Bruce Clarke assesses the different dialects of systems theory brought to bear on Gaia discourse. Focusing in particular on Marguliss work-including multiple pieces of her unpublished Gaia correspondence-he shows how her research and that of Lovelock was concurrent and conceptually parallel with the new discourse of self-referential systems that emerged within neocybernetic systems theory. The recent Gaia writings of Donna Haraway, Isabelle Stengers, and Bruno Latour contest its cybernetic status. Clarke engages Latour on the issue of Gaias systems description and extends his own systems-theoretical synthesis under what he terms "metabiotic Gaia." This study illuminates current issues in neighboring theoretical conversations-from biopolitics and the immunitary paradigm to NASA astrobiology and the Anthropocene. Along the way, he points to science fiction as a vehicle of Gaian thought. Delving into many issues not previously treated in accounts of Gaia, Gaian Systems describes the history of a theory that has the potential to help us survive an environmental crisis of our own making. Author Biography Bruce Clarke is Paul Whitfield Horn Professor of Literature and Science in the Department of English at Texas Tech University. He is the author or editor of ten books, among them Neocybernetics and Narrative (Minnesota, 2014) and Posthuman Metamorphosis. Table of Contents ContentsIntroduction: An Epistemological TransitionPart I. Gaia Discourse1. A Paradigm Shift2. Thinkers of Gaia3. Neocybernetics of GaiaPart II. The Systems Counterculture4. The Whole Earth Network5. The Lindisfarne Connection6. Margulis and AutopoiesisPart III. Gaian Enquiries7. The Planetary Imaginary8. Planetary Immunity9. Astrobiology and the AnthropoceneAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex Review "Where William Blake found the world in a grain of sand, Gaia finds the planet in a bacterial cell. Bruce Clarke, eminent scholar of literature and science, leads us through the evolution and elaboration of the notion—where complex systems can easily get complicated and cybernetics loopy—with sustained precision and clarity. The necessity to understand is evident throughout."—Douglas Kahn, author of Earth Sound Earth Signal: Energies and Earth Magnitude in the Arts"Gaian Systems is a brilliant labor of love. Intellectual love for a major system of thought and for those who have built it, especially the towering figure of Lynn Margulis. But also profound love for our living planet as a whole, for the complexity and subtlety of the complex assemblages that compose it. Combining rigor with generosity, Bruce Clarke explores the genealogy, the key concepts, and the major implications of a symbiogenetic vision of our planetary system. Humble and yet visionary, this remarkable study instructs, illuminates, and gives us hope."—Rosi Braidotti, Utrecht University Long Description A groundbreaking look at Gaia theorys intersections with neocybernetic systems theory Often seen as an outlier in science, Gaia has run a long and varied course since its formulation in the 1970s by atmospheric chemist James Lovelock and microbiologist Lynn Margulis. Gaian Systems is a pioneering exploration of the dynamic and complex evolution of Gaias many variants, with special attention to Marguliss foundational role in these developments. Bruce Clarke assesses the different dialects of systems theory brought to bear on Gaia discourse. Focusing in particular on Marguliss work--including multiple pieces of her unpublished Gaia correspondence--he shows how her research and that of Lovelock was concurrent and conceptually parallel with the new discourse of self-referential systems that emerged within neocybernetic systems theory. The recent Gaia writings of Donna Haraway, Isabelle Stengers, and Bruno Latour contest its cybernetic status. Clarke engages Latour on the issue of Gaias systems description and extends his own systems-theoretical synthesis under what he terms "metabiotic Gaia." This study illuminates current issues in neighboring theoretical conversations--from biopolitics and the immunitary paradigm to NASA astrobiology and the Anthropocene. Along the way, he points to science fiction as a vehicle of Gaian thought. Delving into many issues not previously treated in accounts of Gaia, Gaian Systems describes the history of a theory that has the potential to help us survive an environmental crisis of our own making. Review Quote "Where William Blake found the world in a grain of sand, Gaia finds the planet in a bacterial cell. Bruce Clarke, eminent scholar of literature and science, leads us through the evolution and elaboration of the notion--where complex systems can easily get complicated and cybernetics loopy--with sustained precision and clarity. The necessity to understand is evident throughout."--Douglas Kahn, author of Earth Sound Earth Signal: Energies and Earth Magnitude in the Arts " Gaian Systems is a brilliant labor of love. Intellectual love for a major system of thought and for those who have built it, especially the towering figure of Lynn Margulis. But also profound love for our living planet as a whole, for the complexity and subtlety of the complex assemblages that compose it. Combining rigor with generosity, Bruce Clarke explores the genealogy, the key concepts, and the major implications of a symbiogenetic vision of our planetary system. Humble and yet visionary, this remarkable study instructs, illuminates, and gives us hope."--Rosi Braidotti, Utrecht University Details ISBN1517909120 Author Bruce Clarke Short Title Gaian Systems Pages 336 Series Posthumanities Language English Year 2020 ISBN-10 1517909120 ISBN-13 9781517909123 Format Paperback Subtitle Lynn Margulis, Neocybernetics, and the End of the Anthropocene Series Number 60 DEWEY 570.1 Imprint University of Minnesota Press Place of Publication Minnesota Country of Publication United States Illustrations 13 B-W Illustrations NZ Release Date 2020-09-29 US Release Date 2020-09-29 Publication Date 2020-09-29 UK Release Date 2020-09-29 Publisher University of Minnesota Press Alternative 9781517909116 Audience General AU Release Date 2020-09-28 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! 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ISBN-13: 9781517909123
Book Title: Gaian Systems: Lynn Margulis, Neocybernetics, and the End of the Anthropocene
Item Height: 216mm
Item Width: 140mm
Author: Bruce Clarke
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Topic: Geology, Popular Philosophy, Biology
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Publication Year: 2020
Type: Textbook
Number of Pages: 336 Pages
