Image: Pixabay
A collaboration of physicists, astronomers, and planetary scientists are proposing a rather intriguing hypothesis which postulates that our planet tentatively meets the criteria for being a "collective intelligence." For centuries, the notion of Earth as a living entity was considered the purview of mythology, and in more recent times, that of neopaganism. Gaia, a primordial deity of the Greek pantheon, was considered the living embodiment of the ancestral mother and originator of all living things. In Eastern traditions - specifically in Hinduism - the goddess Bhumi fulfilled the role of Gaia or Terra, as the Romans would later call the personification of a divine feminine.
In the peer-reviewed paper referenced at the end of this post, the authors argue for the concept of a planetary intelligence via the aggregation and classification of all living organisms into a singular life form capable of collaborative and transformative power over its environment at a global scale. Examples of such a collective intelligence transcending the individual can be seen in nature abundantly. Insects, for example, are often part of a hive working for the benefit of a colony while collectively transforming the ecosystem around them.
As we go up the evolutive ladder, a more complex system of bio-networks gives rise to a techno-sphere - or the activity of an intelligent species that builds technology. When taken in its totality, these seemingly incongruous biological systems separated by varying degrees of cognitive abilities, appear to work for the same goal; whatever that may turn out to be. Follow the link posted below and contemplate the possibility of a worldwide intelligent mind at work.
Intelligence as a planetary scale process | International Journal of Astrobiology | Cambridge Core
Intelligence as a planetary scale process - Volume 21 Issue 2
www.cambridge.org