From James Hutton’s «Theory of the Earth» to James Lovelock’s «Gaia Hypothesis»
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/asclepio.2007.v59.i1.218Keywords:
James Hutton, 18th century, Theory of the Earth, epistemology, Gaia hypothesis, organic mechanicism, system general theoryAbstract
In order to understand to what extent James Hutton (1726-1797) can in fact be considered as one of the first forerunners of the Gaia Hypothesis, his Theory of the Earth is analysed into context
of the three basic traditions of science: organismic, magical and mechanistic. In the some authors’ opinion, Hutton should have written in his theory the Earth was a superorganism and its proper
study should be by physiology. These supposed assertions are merely a misinterpretation of the Huttonian philosophy, since were never held by this author. Hutton has nevertheless an holistic view which is closer to the Alfred N. Whitehead's organic mechanicism than the James Lovelock's
Gaia Hypothesis, being therefore a clear forerunner of Ludwig von Bertalanffy and his System
General Theory.
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