GAIA, THE PLANETARY RELIGION:
THE SACRED MARRIAGE OF ART AND SCIENCE
A Dissertation Presented
by
DOCTRESS NEUTOPIA
Submitted to the Graduate School of the
University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
February 1994
School of Education
þ Copyright by Doctress Neutopia 1994
All Rights Reserved
GAIA, THE PLANETARY RELIGION:
THE SACRED MARRIAGE OF ART AND SCIENCE
Approved as to style and content by:
Robert R. Wellman, Chair
John W. Wideman, Member
Robert E. Baker, Member
Bailey W. Jackson, Dean
School of Education
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DEDICATION
GAIA
The World Soul:
Past, Present, and Future
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My profound thanks to Dame Phyllis Rodin, my Crone, for
engaging me in long deep conversations about the life-force.
I would also like to thank my committee members: Dr. Robert
Baker for encouraging me to do a "traditional scholarly
work;" Dr. Jack Wideman for agreeing to support my efforts
I searched for one long year for an outside member; and
especially Dr. Robert Wellman, classist, my mentor, for
chairing the committee and taking such exceptional interest
in me and my work. Also thanks to Charles Frances Carroll
and Don McNaughton who helped edit the manuscript. I am
also grateful to Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan, the model
mother/son, who inspired me to write this dissertation. My
deep appreciation goes to my parents Marion and Ainslie
Hubbard who helped me break free. Finally, thanks to all my
friends, visible and invisible, wherever you are!
Friendship is the outgrowth of true education.
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ABSTRACT
GAIA, THE PLANETARY RELIGION:
THE SACRED MARRIAGE OF ART AND SCIENCE
FEBRUARY 1994
DOCTRESS NEUTOPIA, B.A., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
M.A., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
Ed.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
Directed by: Professor Robert Wellman
As the human race approaches the 21st Century, the
world's spiritual, political, social, economic, educational,
and scientific philosophies appear out of balance with the
emerging global consciousness brought forth by today's
advancing technologies. Former President Bush's New World
Order is really the same old nation state order of
international anarchy. All the ancient problems
seem to have reached a critical point. Now, a critical
idealism in education, which is a call for spiritual action,
is necessary in order to have the power to bond like-minds
to cure our ancient social diseases. The scientific and
social movement which scientist James Lovelock named the
Gaia theory, named after the Greek Goddess of the Earth, is
on the verge of creating world-wide evolutionary change.
My dissertation attempts to help create a Gaian philosophy
of planetary education based on love between the sexes by
analyzing the function of epic poetry.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
ABSTRACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
CHAPTER
1. THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Background to the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Aim of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Guiding Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
2. A NEUTOPIAN ALTERNATIVE:
TRANSFORMING THE GLOBAL SHOPPING MALL. . . . . . . . 23
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
The Need for a Long-term Vision . . . . . . . . . 24
The Good City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Slavery to the House. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
A New Communal Architecture.. . . . . . . . . . . 30
Planet Metropolis.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Lust for Isolation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
The Alienation of the Built Environment.. . . . . 35
An Ecological Revolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The Neutopian Vision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
A Holistic World View.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Where are the Social Healers?.. . . . . . . . . . 42
Neutopia vs. the Global Corporations. . . . . . . 44
Time for Millenarian Activity . . . . . . . . . ..45
The Role of the Prophetess/Prophet. . . . . . . . 49
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3. NEUTOPIA: A FEMINIST THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE.. . . . 54
Introduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
The Division of Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Making History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Creating a Balanced System of Child-Rearing . . . 65
The Wall Around Paradise. . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Ancient Totalitarianism: Chinese Architecture. . 68
The Industrial Revolution and the Home. . . . . . 72
The Connection-Separation Question. . . . . . . . 75
Women and the Architectural Profession. . . . . . 79
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
4. ARCHITECTURAL ARCHETYPES.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Our Earliest Dwellings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
The Primitive Hut.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
The Trap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
The Structures of Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
The Goddess Civilization. . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
The First Temples.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Archetypal Theory.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Megalithic Architecture.. . . . . . . . . . . . .105
The Column. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
5. THE FAILURE OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE
AND THE VISION OF ECOCITIES. . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Introduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
The Rule of Symmetry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Slaves to Market Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Visions of Ecocities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Intelligent Architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . .132
The Need for a Lovolution . . . . . . . . . . . .133
World of Arcologies.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
6. HOW CHILDREN VISUALIZE HOME:
A STUDY OF AN ARCHETYPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
Introduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
The American Dream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
Universal Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
The Image of Home.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
The Changing Laws of Art. . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Drawing Development.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
Logos and Mythos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
Mythos and Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163
The Origins of Art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Primitive and Modern Artists. . . . . . . . . . .166
The Collective Wisdom.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
7. THE FUNCTION OF EVOLUTIONARY LOVE. . . . . . . . . .178
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
The Ways of Aphrodite and Eros. . . . . . . . . .180
A World of Juno and Genius. . . . . . . . . . . .185
The Metaphysics of Sex. . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Poetry as Leader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
The One World Mind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198
8. THE VIRGIN MOTHER AND THE DIVINE CRONE . . . . . . .199
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
Breaking the Incest Barrier . . . . . . . . . . .199
The Divine Role of the Crone. . . . . . . . . . .201
The Relationship Between the Hera and the Hero. .203
Returning to the Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
Men's Part in Reproduction. . . . . . . . . . . .210
Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene. . . . . . . . . .213
The Secret Sexual Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . .217
Christian Clones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
The Brain Cells of Gaia . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
Power of Ideas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Gaia is the Supreme Being(s). . . . . . . . . . .229
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232
9. WORLD-ARRANGING BEAUTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
The Organic World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
The Steady-State Vs
The Ever-Growing Model of Development . . . . . .238
Will We Have a Metamorphosis? . . . . . . . . . .241
A Call for a Love Magician. . . . . . . . . . . .248
A Royal Marriage of True Minds. . . . . . . . . .250
The Position of the Philosopheress/Philosopher. .254
The End of History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260
10. THE INFORMATION LOVOLUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
The Oral Defense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
The Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
The Global Network Academy. . . . . . . . . . . .270
The Architectural Plan of UU-GNA. . . . . . . . .275
The Suppressive Regime of UU-GNA. . . . . . . . .277
An Alternative: Neutopian Transversity . . . . .279
Student-Teacher Relationship. . . . . . . . . . .281
The Mission of Neutopian Transversity . . . . . .282
The Neutopian Administration. . . . . . . . . . .286
Architectural Plan of the Neutopian Transversity.287
The Neutopian Rituals . . . . . . . . . . . . . .290
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .290
BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .292