Gaia hypothesis

[ gey-uh hahy-poth-uh-sis, hi-poth‐ ]

noun

1. a theory advancing the notion that life on earth is perpetuated by the interaction of organisms with their inorganic environment, a process maintained by the earth’s self-regulation of its own material conditions and requirements.

Gaia hypothesis

/ ˈɡaɪə /

noun

1. the theory that the earth and everything on it constitutes a single self-regulating living entity

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gaia hypothesis¹

Coined in 1975 by British environmentalist and futurist James E. Lovelock (1919–2022); Gaia ( def 2 )

Example Sentences

Echoing James Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis, which proposes that the Earth is a vast, self-regulating organism, Mutu said in her recent talk that the injustices humans commit against one another are inevitably related to the Earth.

From Washington Post

The scientist James Lovelock named his influential theory of global interconnectedness the Gaia hypothesis after her.

From The Daily Beast