Gaia, teleology, and function

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss the role of teleological explanations in Gaia theory.We show that its main proponent, James Lovelock, intends to avoid themdue to a misinterpretation of the nature of teleological explanations. Inorder to avoid a commitment to teleology, Lovelock appeals to the conceptof emergent properties. This is not a consistent solution, however, since the concepts of emergent properties and teleology are not mutuallyexclusive. We also discuss difficulties in an interpretation of Gaia from ateleonomic perspective, discussing problems such as that of the notion ofsuperorganism. In order to appraise the status of teleological explanationsin Gaia, we examine the case of the interaction between algae and clouds, which gave birth to a new research field and show the theoretical and empirical contributions that Gaia can bring. Based on the arguments developed in the paper, we suggest a reorganization of the structure ofGaia research program, in order to go on with its theoretical and empirical progress.