“如何认识科学”(六):大卫·凯里对詹姆斯·罗夫洛克的访谈

"How to Understand Science"( Ⅵ) : David Carey's Interview with James Lovelock

40年前,英国科学家罗夫洛克提出盖亚理论,认为地球是一个自我调节的系统,具有整体的功能,地球必须调节自身的气候及其大气化学成分;生物体使地质进程加快,从而达到保持恒温所必需的条件。为了证明地球的自我调节,罗夫洛克把新的现象纳入考虑范畴以拓展理论的解释框架。他认为,你需要一个附加的理论,去拓展达尔文理论并把地球自我调节纳入其中,那就是盖亚理论。自然选择正确的一方去做正确的事情。你必须将地球本身看做一个生命有机体,但它与我们熟知的参与自然选择的有机体并非同一类型。盖亚理论坚持达尔文理论,同样坚持牛顿物理学;它与牛顿物理学并行不悖,只是后者的一种延伸。罗夫洛克对于现代文明越来越悲观,认为文明正处在一种可怕的危险当中,因为现在地球正在从一个相对舒适凉爽的状态趋向一个温度较高的状态,之前也多次如此。改进和适应是我们需要投入精力去做的两件事情。那些将被筛选的、最终可存留的幸存者,是可以为下一个文明创造美好开始的人。

Forty years age, British scientist James Lovelock, put forward the Gaia theory. It held that the earth as a whole functions as a self-regulating system. The earth must regulate its own climate, as well as its atmospheric chemistry. Organisms accelerate the geological process to exactly the point that is necessary to maintain a stable temperature. To show persuasive evidence of planetary self-regulation, Jim Lovelock expanded the explanatory framework to take account of the new phenomena. He insisted that you need an additional theory, and that's what Gaia is all about – expanding Darwinism to include the regulation of the Earth. Nature selection picks the ones that do it right. You have to look upon the Earth itself as the ones that participate in natural selection. Gaia stands to Darwinism, as relativity stands to Newtonian physics. It doesn't displace or disagree with Newtonian physics. It just extends it. James Lovelock has been growing more pessimistic about the prospects for contemporary civilization.When you looked at the whole picture, civilization was in grave danger. Because the Earth was now going to move from its rather comfortable cool state to a hot state that it's been in many times before. Amelioration and adaptation are the two things that really we should be throwing our energies into. We will be culled and refined so that among the survivors will be those who will make a better start for the next civilization.