[lit-ideas] Gaia and Earth
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Lit-Ideas " <Lit-Ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 08:12:49 -0700
Mike Geary and I, through a bit of inadvertence, corresponded briefly and he
wondered why I hadn't been posting.
Perhaps it is because I've been in an especially pessimistic mood. Consider
the NASA scandal for example (there have been too many, in my opinion - or
perhaps merely in my present mood -- to mention recently, but consider this
one to stand for the rest):
<http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/07/27/nasa.woes.ap/>
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/07/27/nasa.woes.ap/
I've been rereading Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, and actually, reading
the novels in chronological order for the first time. He wrote his famous
"trilogy" in 1951-53 and then years later wrote Foundation's Edge (1982),
and then a sequel Foundation and Earth (1986). Last of all he wrote Prelude
to Foundation (1988). In Foundation and Earth, Trevize was determined by
Gaia (as well as the Robot Daneel) to be able to make "true decisions" based
upon inadequate information. He was maneuvered by "Gaia," a planet that is
to a large extent a single organism into choosing the direction of the
future for the galaxy: Shall it be controlled by the First Foundation? In
that case that Foundation will have great physical power such that no one
can resist it militarily. The "First Foundation" concept is not too
different from the world we live in today.
Or shall it be controlled by the Second Foundation which is a relatively
small group of "mentalists" who can control the First Foundation's leaders
and anyone else to keep the galaxy out of trouble and on an even keel.
(Would it not be wonderful, for example, to have one of these Second
Foundationers reigning in Ahmadinejad?)
Or shall it be controlled by Gaia which also has mentalist power but more
importantly is itself a coherent organism, causing its people to be good
rather than evil. Asimov wrestles with the nature of Gaia for many pages.
There are individuals who do individual things, but they are integrated into
the planet's psyche in such a way that they are not individuals in the same
way that the people of either Foundation is, let alone all the ordinary
people of the galaxy.
Gaia, interestingly, was originally established by the Robot Daneel. Asimov
is an Atheist, and as is the case so often with atheists, they can't utterly
do without God and so make one up that is more to their liking than any they
are familiar with. In this case it is Daneel Olivaw who is a Robot who has
lived for 20,000 years. He was the one who encouraged Hari Seldon to create
his Psycho-Historic Plan, and he is the one in the end who assures Trevize
that he has made the right decision in choosing the Gaia approach for the
Galaxy's future.
Trevize in Foundation's Edge made the decision that Gaia's way is the right
way. One day the whole Galaxy will be Gaia. And everyone would know
everything everyone else knows - sort of. And everyone will be good. Gaia
was built upon the three Laws of Robots and is therefore Good per force.
But one thinks of the Startrek equivalent, the Borg; which is not good.
What prevents Gaia from being Borg? The three laws of Robotics. The way
things are in our non-Gaia world (not yet expanded out into the Galaxy
either) no group of humans can be exalted and expect to behave in an exalted
fashion. They are all still human and some will get drunk, others will
petulantly sabotage computers, and others will fall insanely in love and
engage in behavior that is well outside the norm of acceptability. That is
true (at least about the drinking and passion) not just of astronauts but
also of politicians, football heroes, televangelists and Catholic priests.
They, we, are all human, but, as Trevize teld himself before Daneel
convinced him that Gaia was the right way, that it was good for everyone to
be individualistic. Sure some will function below the norm but others will
function well above it and write symphonies or great works of literature.
There is no room for individual genius or criminal behavior in Gaia. Is the
tradeoff worth it? Daneel (and presumably Asimov) has believed that it is
and he presents it all to Trevize who with his special ability to make right
decisions based upon inadequate information agrees with him.
I know about human behavior; so the behavior of NASA personnel didn't
"shock" me in the way it apparently did the AP reporter. We are all human
and not Gaia; so we can choose to function above or below the norm. Yes,
yes, there is the below-the-norm behavior in abundance. I see it. We are
drowning in it, but where is the above-the-norm to counterbalance it?
Lawrence Helm
San Jacinto
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