Courses in A Story of Gaia are divided into two linked groups: Gaia & Adaptability.

I offer introductory (7) & advanced (~10) levels. The courses described on this page are introductory. Soon, I will put up a description about advanced courses.

Gaia series

Gaia 1 : The Fractal Edges of Chaos in Nature :
Sciences, Mathematics, Models & Intuition

• Science as a way of knowing; hypotheses, theory & models; peer review & publication; logical fallacies
• Feedback, non-linearity & phase transitions (bifurcations); Wolfram's four classes of dynamical system behavior; randomness v chaos; sensitive dependence (butterfly effect); fractals & power laws (fractals in time)
• Computational systems: cellular automata that are changing the nature of both mathematics & science

__________________________________

Gaia 2 : Why Organization Exists :
Energy, Gradients, Self-Organization & Emergence

• Energy, energy gradients; entropy; equilibrium (classical) v non-equilibrium thermodynamics; self-organizing dissipative systems that spontaneously organize in energy gradients; examples: whirlpools, convection cells, BZ reaction, “dancing cornstarch”, living systems from cells to Gaia
• Emergence theory: “whole is greater than the sum of parts”; emergent properties not fully explained by properties of parts; examples ranging from quantum systems, to molecules, life, consciousness & Gaia

___________________________________

Gaia 3 : Life, Health & Evolution :
Autopoiesis, Symbiosis, Organisms & Gaia

The goal of this course is to facilitate a new understanding of the phenomena & processes of life, health & evolution at personal & planetary scales using key ideas from systems sciences to promote a paradigm shift in human thinking; a new cultural map.

• Autopoiesis : Key to an answer to, “What is life?”, it distinguishes living self-organizing systems – like cells & organisms – from nonliving ones; metabolism as autopoiesis; energy gradients; self-organization & emergence
• Symbiosis: Species living in close physical contact; symbiogenesis: a necessary component of evolution above bacterial level; examples : eukaryotic (nucleated) cell evolution; insects; green animals; lichens
• Organisms : Homeostasis (self-regulation) as an emergent property of autopoietic systems; health as a state on the edge of chaos; healing as emergence; homeostatic systems: respiratory, circulatory; nervous, immune, digestive, excretory ...
• Gaia : Planetary metabolism & homeostasis; 4-billion year history; ice ages, interglacials, & heating (Gaian “fevers”); relationship of personal & planetary healing. Why evolution requires symbiosis; Gaia theory plus natural selection

Adaptability series

Adaptability 1 : Remaking Civilization to Survive on a Volatile Earth

Based on Diane Dumanoski's book, The End of the Long Summer:Why We Must Remake Our Civilization to Survive on a Volatile Earth that motivates & informs Euglena's Adaptability Project, into which this is the portal.

• An overview of Earth's current climate crisis; history of factors leading to it; the dangerous public misconception that change will be smooth & gradual over a century, when it will likely manifest as abrupt, rapid, chaotic extremes
• Lessons from the 2 million year history of our species, notably that we survived & evolved during the volatile ice ages
• The pros & cons of geo-engineering – planetary-scale modifications attempting to ameliorate the climate crisis
• How we can shock-proof cultures, including the relevance of Gaia theory as both science & metaphor
• Concepts from our basic principles course relevant to understand the book

__________________________________

Adaptability 2 : A Capricious Beast :
Understanding Abrupt, Rapid, Chaotic, Extreme Climate Change

• Review processes of science being used & a list of key scientists; principles from systems sciences relevant to understanding the climate change crisis: feedback, non-linearity, tipping points & phase transitions
• Key ideas of Gaia theory: solar flux, Milankovitch cycles, ice ages, interglacials, past extreme heating events; clouds, ice, aerosols & albedo; ocean currents & acidification; biosphere, especially forests & marine phytoplankton
• The most compelling evidence climate is changing rapidly & that we have passed a tipping point
• Computer models of climate: history of development, challenges, limitations & current state
• An introduction to climate change skeptics w/ attention to different types of skepticism - from healthy science to misinformation peddlers - including misconceptions employed to confuse understanding

________________________

Adaptability 3 : Preparing for & Surviving Large-Scale Climate Change

• How to increase adaptability at personal, community & regional levels
• Meeting basic human needs : water, food, shelter,clothing, tools, energy, transportation, security; psychology