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Geochemistry and the Biosphere: Essays
The classic works by the renowned Russian scientist who published the first edition of The Biosphere in 1926. This unabridged translation is made from the 1944 edition and translated from the Russian alongside his other most important book Essays on Geochemistry . In these two volumes, Vernadsky details humanity’s impact on the living systems of the planet and concludes with his vision of the noösphere, a sphere of human intelligence.
- GenresScience
480 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2007
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About the author
Vladimir I. Vernadsky
19 books23 followersVladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (Russian: Влади́мир Ива́нович Верна́дский; Ukrainian: Володи́мир Іва́нович Верна́дський; 12 March [O.S. 28 February] 1863 – 6 January 1945) was a Russian, Ukrainian, and Soviet mineralogist and geochemist who is considered one of the founders of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and radiogeology, and was a founder of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (now National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine). His ideas of noosphere were an important contribution to Russian cosmism. He is most noted for his 1926 book The Biosphere in which he inadvertently worked to popularize Eduard Suess’ 1885 term biosphere, by hypothesizing that life is the geological force that shapes the earth. In 1943 he was awarded the Stalin Prize.
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June 25, 2014
"Scientific thought is both individual and social. It is in- separable from Man. Not even in his deepest levels of ab- straction can an individual transcend the realm of his ex- istence. Science has a real existence, and like Man himself, is most closely and inextricably bound to the noösphere. The individual is obliterated— “decomposed”—when he goes beyond the logical grasp of his intellect.
But the mechanism of the understanding, tightly linked to speech and concepts—the logical structure of which is complex, as we shall see (observe the digression on logic at the end of the book)—does not encompass the totality of Man’s knowledge of reality.
We see and we know, but we know in an everyday, not in a scientific way, that creative scientific thought tran- scends the bounds of logic (including logic and dialectics in its various forms). The individual, in his scientific accomplishments, bases himself on phenomena, which are not encompassed by logic (however broadly we under- stand that term). Intuition, inspiration, the basis of the greatest scientific discoveries, proceeding and operating further in a strictly logical manner—is not brought forth by either scientific or logical thought, nor is it connected to words or concepts in its genesis.
With regard to this fundamental area in the history of scientific thought, we are entering into a realm still not fully grasped by science. But not only can we not take it into consideration, rather we must increase our scientific focus on it. At present this area of philosophical specula- tion is somewhat clarified, but in general still finds itself in a chaotic state.
This area has been investigated with greater interest and depth in Hindu philosophy, both ancient and mod- ern. Here we have attempts to delve into this realm, bare- ly touched by science.49 How far it will conduct human thought, and give it a direction—of this we have no defi- nite knowledge.
We only see that a large realm of phenomena, which possess a rigorously lawful, most intrinsic, relationship to the social order, and ultimately, to the biosphere—even more to the noösphere—namely, the world of artistic cre- ation, is not reducible in any meaningful way in any of its parts, for example, in music or architecture, to verbal rep- resentation, and yet it exerts a great influence on the sci- entific analysis of reality. The mastery of this cognitive apparatus, little reflected by logic, is a task for the future."
But the mechanism of the understanding, tightly linked to speech and concepts—the logical structure of which is complex, as we shall see (observe the digression on logic at the end of the book)—does not encompass the totality of Man’s knowledge of reality.
We see and we know, but we know in an everyday, not in a scientific way, that creative scientific thought tran- scends the bounds of logic (including logic and dialectics in its various forms). The individual, in his scientific accomplishments, bases himself on phenomena, which are not encompassed by logic (however broadly we under- stand that term). Intuition, inspiration, the basis of the greatest scientific discoveries, proceeding and operating further in a strictly logical manner—is not brought forth by either scientific or logical thought, nor is it connected to words or concepts in its genesis.
With regard to this fundamental area in the history of scientific thought, we are entering into a realm still not fully grasped by science. But not only can we not take it into consideration, rather we must increase our scientific focus on it. At present this area of philosophical specula- tion is somewhat clarified, but in general still finds itself in a chaotic state.
This area has been investigated with greater interest and depth in Hindu philosophy, both ancient and mod- ern. Here we have attempts to delve into this realm, bare- ly touched by science.49 How far it will conduct human thought, and give it a direction—of this we have no defi- nite knowledge.
We only see that a large realm of phenomena, which possess a rigorously lawful, most intrinsic, relationship to the social order, and ultimately, to the biosphere—even more to the noösphere—namely, the world of artistic cre- ation, is not reducible in any meaningful way in any of its parts, for example, in music or architecture, to verbal rep- resentation, and yet it exerts a great influence on the sci- entific analysis of reality. The mastery of this cognitive apparatus, little reflected by logic, is a task for the future."
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