"Three influential ways of thinking about "the human" have emerged from the Earth sciences in the past century: the noosphere, the Anthropocene, and Gaia theory. In The Planetary Mirror, Boris Shoshitaishvili investigates these Earth science concepts and the network of metaphors that pervades them in order to shed light on the forms of planetary symbolism that have been taking shape for at least a century. For Shoshitaishvili, these paradigms-and the cosmic modes of spheres, forces, and bodies they invite us into-are examples of a rich poetics for the human world as a whole. The Planetary Mirror delves into the three imaginaries anchored by these planetary ideas: humans as a noosphere, an earth-spanning layer of thought, culture, and technology; as drivers of the Anthropocene, a planetary force pushing the whole Earth System into a new, still unknown geological epoch; and as a superorganic child of Gaia, an ancient planetary being encompassing smaller-scale life and much of the nonliving world. Shoshitaishvili ties questions of the present and future with ancient thought as he traces the metaphors at the heart of the three planetary ideas across Babylonian myth, ancient Greek philosophy, Aztec metaphysics, and medieval European political theology. By understanding how these paradigms coexist among their differences and complementarities, The Planetary Mirror provides new perspectives on pressing global issues such as solar geoengineering, artificial intelligence, and the promises and challenges of cosmopolitanism in a world of intensified nationalism"-- Provided by publisher.