Misha (on Bookwyrm) reviewed Novacene by James Lovelock
The two faces of James Lovelock
4 stars
I have always had a hard time making up my mind about James Lovelock. On the one hand, his Gaia hypothesis has really changed the way I (and many others) think about the remarkable equilibria we are born into. On the other hand, the way his ego and his (self-acclaimed?) engineering credentials have consistently manifested in confused appeals to technocracy - "it may be necessary to put democracy on hold for a while" - has been misguided and dangerous.
In that sense, his last book "Novacene" has generally met my expectations. On the one hand, the book is full of strange and surprising scientific claims and detours that made me question and review what I know about the Earth Sciences. On the other hand, the book's call to accept the impending end of "organic life", and to celebrate the inevitable take-over of Gaia by electronic machines can only be …
I have always had a hard time making up my mind about James Lovelock. On the one hand, his Gaia hypothesis has really changed the way I (and many others) think about the remarkable equilibria we are born into. On the other hand, the way his ego and his (self-acclaimed?) engineering credentials have consistently manifested in confused appeals to technocracy - "it may be necessary to put democracy on hold for a while" - has been misguided and dangerous.
In that sense, his last book "Novacene" has generally met my expectations. On the one hand, the book is full of strange and surprising scientific claims and detours that made me question and review what I know about the Earth Sciences. On the other hand, the book's call to accept the impending end of "organic life", and to celebrate the inevitable take-over of Gaia by electronic machines can only be read as the most dangerous and deranged kind of engineering hubris.
Read the rest of the review on my blog: mishathings.org/posts/lovelock-novacene/