View source for Gaianism

{{New Age beliefs sidebar}}
{{short description|Earth-centered philosophical, holistic, and spiritual belief}}
{{redirect|Gaia Movement|the nonprofit organization|Gaia Movement USA}}{{for|the ancient Christian sect|Gaianites}}
'''Gaianism''' is an earth-centered philosophical, [[holistic]], and spiritual belief that shares expressions with [[earth religion]]s and [[paganism]] while not identifying exclusively with any specific one.<ref name=book1>{{cite book|last= Dobson|first = Andrew| title=The Politics of Nature: Explorations in Green Political Theory|date=1995|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0415124719|pages=8, 9, 14|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gvWHAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Gaianism%22&pg=PA9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Richard Peet|first=Nigel Thrift|title=New Models in Geography - Vol 1: The Political-Economy Perspective|date=1989|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0049101013|pages=90, 97–99|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gdyHAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Gaianism%22&pg=PA97}}</ref> The term describes a philosophy and ethical worldview which, though not necessarily religious, implies a [[transpersonal]] devotion to earth as a [[superorganism]]. Practitioners of Gaianism are called Gaians (or Gaianists).

[[Marcel Wissenburg]] has described Gaianism as a "modern variant of philosophical determinism".<ref name=book1 /> Gaianism has been associated with the [[New Age movement]] due to sharing similar viewpoints, but is not typically identified as strictly part of the New Age movement as a whole.

Gaianism's philosophy stems from [[James Lovelock]]'s [[Gaia hypothesis]], which proposes that organisms interact with their surroundings on Earth to form a more complex and self-regulating system that contributes to maintaining the conditions for life on the planet.<ref>{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Mike|title=The Greening of British Party Politics|date=1992|publisher=Manchester University Press|isbn=0719031990|pages=54–56|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_xUNAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Gaianism%22&pg=PA55}}</ref> Gaia can be understood as a superorganism made of organisms, as multicellular life can be understood as a superorganism at a smaller level of scale.

Practitioners of Gaianism are termed "Gaians", or sometimes "Gaianists". Followers typically approach the philosophy with the perspective that people should honor the Earth, reduce or soften their [[Ecological footprint|human impact on the earth]], and respect all life on earth. The latter perspective is extended to all forms of life such as plant, animal, or human, and followers will often try to maintain a close relationship with the planet in order to strive toward [[world peace]], maintain global [[homeostasis]] and find inner fulfillment. Gaians will occasionally follow Gaianism along with other religions, but for many Gaianism is not necessarily religious. {{cn|date=March 2020}}

An example of Gaian philosophy is the Gaian Oath, envisioned by Lucian Tarnowski, founder of the United Planet:<ref>{{cite web|date= 2023|title= Gaian Oath|url= https://luciant.medium.com/my-tribute-to-my-father-on-the-12th-anniversary-of-his-death-gaian-language-4d4a3126dfa9}}</ref>
<blockquote>We are a United Planet

I am Gaian

On my honour, I commit to a thriving civilisation in harmony with all life.</blockquote>Although Gaianism is an Earth-centered belief system, it does not always align with environmental goals. For instance, the chief scientific originator of Gaianism, James Lovelock, advocated a vast expansion of nuclear energy power plants on Earth, the colonization of other planets, and a tolerance of various earthly chemical pollutants.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marshall |first=Alan |title=The Unity of Nature |publisher=Imperial College Press / World Scientific |year=2002 |isbn=978-1860943300 |location=London / Singapore}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Anima Mundi]]
* [[Gaia philosophy]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{New Age Movement}}

[[Category:Gaia]]
[[Category:New Age]]
[[Category:Words and phrases derived from Greek mythology]]