Tyler Volk

This is a very short review of Tyler Volk ‘Gaia’s Body. Toward a Physiology of Earth’ Copernicus, Springer Verlag New York 1998 pp.269.

Gaia’s Body.

Volk is one of the increasing number of scientists promoting the gaian thesis. In ‘Gaia’s Body’ he explores many of the basic assumptions of the gaian theory but focusses primarily upon micro-organisms’ contribution to gaia. It contains an excellent in-depth exposition of the complexities of Photosynthesis which is central to gaia but rarely discussed in green political circles.

Volk raises one of the basic dilemmas of gaian thinking: if gaia is a superorganism what are its organs? He sketches some answers but doesn’t reach a conclusion.

Quite surprisingly, in this book volk does not attempt to explain the Earth’s current climate by exploring its historical development, “The difficulty in really knowing what the Earth was like .. is one reason why Gaia’s history has not been the focus of this book.”[89] Yet he admits .. “dealing with Gaia in time is essential.”[90] It is only in the last few segments of the book that he provides a useful outline of some of the latest hypotheses about the Earth’s origins and development.

Although the subject matter of this book is scientific it is written in a clear and digestible way for the non-scientist interested in the functioning of the Earth’s life support system. Unlike most other scientific books on gaia which are glossy and contain beautiful photographs and large numbers of multi-coloured diagrams, illustrations, charts, each of which is accompanied by multiple explanatory text boxes, volk’s book is just a plain, old fashioned, text book - it has a few diagrams but no photographs and no notes. But complex matters are explained so easily such aides aren’t missed. However, volks’ homely and personalized style of writing may not be to everyone’s liking. Anyone seeking to understand what gaia is, or wants to learn more about gaia, would benefit enormously from this work. It is especially recommended to the hordes of greenless greens and the oomano-imperialists who have set up front organizations such as Earth First! UK.