From Gaia to Selfish Genes

Connie Barlow is a science writer.

Part 1 Is Earth itself alive?: mother Earth - myth or science?, James Lovelock et al; the search for Gaia, Richard Monastersky et al; philosophical musings, Lewis Thomas et al. Part 2 Merged beings: Lynn Margulis - vindicated heretic, Jeanne McDermott; microcosmos, Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan; blurred bounds of individuality, Julian Huxley and Leo W. Buss. Part 3 A systems view of life: holons and hierarchy theory, Arthur Koestler; birth of general systems theory, Gerald Weinberg and Ludwig von Bertalanffy. Part 4 Game theory and the evolution of co-operation: the prisoner's dilemma, Robert Axelrod and Douglas Hofstadter; game theory and biology, Robert Axelrod and William D. Hamilton. Part 5 Nature, nurture and sociobiology: from ants to anthropology - E.O. Wilson, Robert Wright; introducing a new science, Edward O. Wilson and Richard D. Alexander; not in our genes, Richard C. Lewontin et al. Part 6 Selfish genes: nature red in tooth and claw, Richard Dawkins; evolution of consciousness, Richard Dawkins; junk DNA and other evidence, W. Ford Doolittle et al. Part 7 Reflections: the debates continue, W. Ford Doolittle et al.