Sudden Oak Life by Lee Klinger

Last night I finished reading the new biography of my dear friend and mentor, the late Jim Lovelock. It was (is) a fascinating read of the man, the men, and the women who helped bring Gaia to our scientific consciousness. I know (knew) many of the people mentioned in this book, so the read was particularly engaging as well as revealing about matters and affairs that previously had me confounded. Here is a closing passage that moved me deeply:

“Despite a hermetic reputation, Jim’s great contribution to [Gaia] theory was the identification of relationships: ‘My role has been to bring separated things and ideas together and make the whole more than the sum of the parts.’ Curiosity drove him. Accuracy delighted him. But it was always about feeling as well as data. That is why Gaia continued to have appeal and relevance. ‘YOUR UNCONSCIOUS MIND CAN HANDLE CONCEPTS THAT YOUR CONSCIOUS MIND CANNOT handle nor speak in language. It’s rebellious,’ he said [emphasis mine]. Deep down he never stopped believing that the goddess was more than a metaphor. Right to the end, he was convinced the planet was truly alive.”

From – The Many Lives of James Lovelock by Jonathan Watts