Vernadsky's doctrine of the noosphere is a creative thought. a photo

Chekryzhov Vyacheslav, student 10 A MBOUSOSH No. 63, Tula

Astrophysics and philosophy of space

The research work on the biosphere and noosphere puts the author in the position of a naturalist in relation to the development of life phenomena. The concept of the biosphere - noosphere is considered in the context of global environmental problems and the rational use of natural resources, the impact of the highest form of the movement of matter on the lower ones, the subordination of the lower forms to the more developed ones. Forms of motion of matter according to V.I. Vernadsky, are inextricably linked with space, time and leave their mark on the conditions of being. Thanks to the works of this scientist, consideration of the evolution of the Earth and Space is possible from a historical and chronological point of view, linking all the phenomena of animate and inanimate nature together.

The doctrine of the biosphere and noosphere developed in 1945, in as a result of V.I. Vernadsky of the deepest analysis of all the phenomena of life in their mutual connection with each other and with the inert matter of the planet along the entire path of their historical development. A new vision opens before us modern picture of the world. In the post-war years, ideas about the transformation of the Earth's biosphere into a consciously organized and controlled by man noosphere were not appreciated. But over time, when the predicted phenomena began to grow with dizzying speed, the significance of the doctrine of the noosphere, the organic unity of nature and society, that in the conditions of the increased technological power of people, nature can no longer exist and develop without conscious control of its life by mankind , became obvious

Download:

Preview:

To use the preview of presentations, create a Google account (account) and sign in: https://accounts.google.com

Slides captions:

Teachings of V.I.Vernadsky about the biosphere. Noosphere. V.I.Vernadsky (1863–1945) Prepared by Pupil of Grade 10 “A” MBOUSOSH No. 63 Chekryzhov Vyacheslav

in Russia in the second half of the 19th century. a peculiar mentality arose, now called Russian cosmism. Here are its main features: Man is an integral part of Nature; Man and Nature should not be opposed to each other, but considered in unity; A person and everything that surrounds him are particles of one (in this context, it is not so important that for some it is God, while for others it is the Universe).

Thus, V.I.Vernadsky as a scientist was formed in the atmosphere of Russian scientific thought about the unity of Man and Nature, about Man as an active natural factor. However, in the minds of scientists, the world of inanimate matter and living matter was not connected with the world of man and the society he created. The scientific disciplines in these three areas lived an independent life for a long time, and the empirical material was not enough to reproduce a single integral picture of the world. This gigantic work was done at the beginning of the 20th century by V.I. Vernadsky, who created the doctrine of the biosphere and noosphere.

Vernadsky came to the problems of studying the role of living matter in the evolution of the earth's shell and biosphere through geochemistry and the study of the evolution of the earth's crust. He was the first to understand that the whole face of the Earth, its landscapes, the chemistry of the ocean, the structure of the atmosphere are all the product of life. As a result, a new scientific discipline emerged – biogeochemistry. This picture of the development of the Earth as a cosmic body should have been based on some initial hypothesis that fixes the fact of the formation of life on our planet. Vernadsky did not deal specifically with the problem of the origin of life, confining himself to stating a fact: life arose on Earth. For the totality of all existing organisms (including microscopic ones), he introduced the term living matter, and, finding out its complete chemical composition, approached the study of all chemical and energy processes that occur in that shell of the Earth in which living matter exists, i.e. in the biosphere. The main results of the early stage of the study of the biosphere V.I.

The biosphere is the shell of the Earth, the composition, structure and energy of which are determined by the combined activity of living organisms. The concept of the "biosphere as an area of ​​life" and the outer shell of the Earth goes back to the biologist Lamarck (1744-1829). The term biosphere itself was introduced by E. Suess (1875), who understood it as a thin film of life on the earth's surface, which largely determines the "face of the Earth". The merit of creating a holistic doctrine of the biosphere belongs to Vernadsky. Vernadsky considered the biosphere as an area of ​​life, including, along with organisms, their habitat.

The biosphere is part of the atmosphere up to the height of the ozone screen (20-25 km), part of the lithosphere, especially the weathering crust, and the entire hydrosphere. The lower boundary descends on average 2-3 km under the land surface and 1-2 km under the ocean floor.

Types of substances: living substance biogenic substance (combustible fossils, limestones, etc., i.e. a substance created and processed by living organisms), inert substance (formed in processes in which living organisms do not participate), bioinert substance (created simultaneously by living organisms and in the course of processes of an inorganic nature, such as soil), a radioactive substance is a substance of cosmic origin (meteorites, cosmic dust). scattered atoms

The central link in Vernadsky's concept of the biosphere is the idea of ​​living matter. Already at the beginning of the XX century. V.I.Vernadsky began to say that the impact of man on the surrounding Nature is growing so rapidly that the time is not far off when he will become the main geological force. And as a consequence, he will have to take responsibility for the future development of Nature. The development of the environment and society will become inseparable. The biosphere will one day pass into the sphere of reason - into the noosphere. There will be a great unification, as a result of which the development of the planet will be directed by the power of Reason.

“The biosphere of the 20th century is turning into a noosphere, created primarily by the growth of science, scientific understanding and the social labor of mankind based on it ... An explosion of scientific creativity<...>creates the transition of the biosphere into the noosphere,” writes Vernadsky in the 1930s. in the book Scientific Thought as a Planetary Phenomenon.

Noosphere The term "noosphere" was proposed in 1927 by the French mathematician and philosopher E. Leroy. "Noos" is the ancient Greek name for the human mind. The noosphere is a new, evolutionary state of the biosphere, in which the rational activity of a person becomes a decisive factor in its development.

The unity of the biosphere and man The central theme of the doctrine of the noosphere is the unity of the biosphere and mankind. Vernadsky in his works reveals the roots of this unity, the importance of the organization of the biosphere in the development of mankind. This allows us to understand the place and role of the historical development of mankind in the evolution of the biosphere, the patterns of its transition to the noosphere.

Vernadsky's theory of the noosphere: Man is not a self-sufficient living being, living separately according to his own laws, he coexists within nature and is part of it. Mankind itself is a natural phenomenon and it is natural that the influence of the biosphere affects not only the environment of life, but also the way of thinking. Not only nature influences a person, there is also a feedback.

Conditions necessary for the formation and existence of the noosphere: 1. Human settlement of the entire planet. 2. Dramatic transformation of the means of communication and exchange between countries. 3. Strengthening ties, including political ones, between all countries of the Earth. 4. The beginning of the predominance of the geological role of man over other geological processes occurring in the biosphere. 5. Expansion of the boundaries of the biosphere and access to space. 6. Discovery of new energy sources. 7. Equality of people of all races and religions. 8. Increasing the role of the masses in resolving issues of foreign and domestic policy.

Conditions necessary for the formation and existence of the noosphere: 9. Freedom of scientific thought and scientific research from the pressure of religious, philosophical and political constructions and the creation in the state system of conditions favorable for free scientific thought. 10. A well-thought-out system of public education and an increase in the well-being of the working people. Creating a real opportunity to prevent malnutrition and hunger, poverty and greatly reduce disease. 11. Reasonable transformation of the primary nature of the Earth in order to make it capable of satisfying all the material, aesthetic and spiritual needs of the numerically growing population. 12. Exclusion of wars from the life of society.

The noosphere should be taken as a symbol of faith, as an ideal of reasonable human intervention in biospheric processes under the influence of scientific achievements. We must believe in it, hope for its coming, and take appropriate measures.

Vernadsky's ideas were far ahead of the time in which he worked. This fully applies to the doctrine of the biosphere and its transition to the noosphere. Only now, in the conditions of an extraordinary aggravation of the global problems of our time, Vernadsky's prophetic words about the need to think and act in the planetary - biospheric - aspect are becoming clear. Only now the illusions of technocracy, the conquest of nature are crumbling, and the essential unity of the biosphere and humanity is becoming clear.

Preview:

CITY SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE "RUSSIA AND SPACE THINKING"

Municipal budgetary educational institution-

secondary school №63 named after Marshal of the Soviet Union

G.K. Zhukov city of Tula

THE BIOSPHERE AND ITS TRANSITION TO THE NOOSPHERE IN V.I. VERNADSKY

Completed by: Chekryzhov Vyacheslav Vitalievich

10th grade student "A"

Head: Borzova Nadezhda Viktorovna

Head of NOU MBOUSOSH No. 63, teacher of physics

1. Introduction
1.1. Goals and objectives of my work
1.1.1. Objective

1.1.2. Relevance of the presented material
1.1.3. Tasks of work
2. Teaching about the biosphere and noosphere

2.1. The inevitability of the transition of the biosphere into the noosphere

2.3. Noosphere as a utopia

2.4.Reality of the noosphere

2.5. Noosphere-sphere of mind

2.6.The concept of the noosphere

2.7.Man and the noosphere

3.Conclusion
3.1. Conclusions and practical recommendations

4. Literature used

1. Introduction

The doctrine of the biosphere and noosphere was formed as a result of V.I. Vernadsky of the deepest analysis of all the phenomena of life in their mutual connection with each other and with the inert matter of the planet along the entire path of their historical development. Academician Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky is a great Russian scientist, naturalist and thinker, creator of new scientific disciplines, the doctrine of the biosphere, the doctrine of the transition of the biosphere into the noosphere. With the name of V.I. Vernadsky is connected with the entry into science of revolutionary scientific ideas, which were far ahead of their time and served as the basis for their fruitful development today. In 1945, shortly before his death, this outstanding scientist made an outstanding contribution to the development of the modern picture of the world. In those years, his ideas about the transformation of the Earth's biosphere into a consciously organized and controlled human noosphere were not appreciated. But over time, when the phenomena he predicted began to grow at breakneck speed, the significance of the doctrine of the noosphere, the organic unity of nature and society, that in the conditions of the increased technological power of people, nature can no longer exist and develop without conscious control of its life by humanity, became clear.

The concept of the biosphere - noosphere is the result of all the scientific work of the scientist, his worldview. It serves as a scientific foundation in the development of a number of modern global problems, and above all the problems of the human environment and the rational use of the natural resources of the biosphere. Of particular value for philosophy is the result of the great work of V.I. Vernadsky on the ratio of the forms of motion of matter.

The doctrine of the biosphere and noosphere reflected his thoughts on the impact of the highest form of the movement of matter on the lower ones, on the subordination of the lower forms to the more developed ones. Forms of motion of matter, according to V.I. Vernadsky, are inextricably linked with space, time and leave their mark on these fundamental conditions of being. Thanks to the work of V.I. Vernadsky and further research of the questions posed by him, today every scientist, armed with geochemical and cosmochemical knowledge, sees the evolution of the Earth and the Cosmos as a historical process of development that embraces all phenomena of animate and inanimate nature in interconnection. When they are considered together, a special position of the natural scientist arises in relation to the development of the phenomena of life. IN AND. Vernadsky gave the world a peculiar philosophical direction of universal significance: active-evolutionary, noospheric, cosmic thought. The choice of this topic is due to the fact that I was interested in the restructuring of the picture of the world that is taking place in our days, which corresponds to the changes that are really taking place in the world.

1.1.Goals and objectives of my work

1.1.1. Objective

With this work, I wanted to show the connection between man and the cosmos, the best opportunities for studying the Universe.

1.1.2. The relevance of the material presented by me

What worries me is that people are not interested in the world around them. But what is nearby is very unique and amazing! My teachers agree with this opinion.

1.1.3. Work tasks

My work “Biosphere and its transition to the noosphere as presented by V.I. Vernadsky” is designed to contribute to the realization of human knowledge in the field of the biosphere and noosphere, to help to have a deeper understanding of this topic, as well as to broaden one’s horizons in this area. 2. The doctrine of the biosphere and noosphere

The doctrine of the Earth's biosphere is one of the largest and most interesting generalizations of a scientist in the field of natural science. Vernadsky V.I. was a man of subtlety in matters of scientific ethics. Therefore, in his works, he points out that the term “biosphere” does not belong to him, but was first used in the early 19th century by Jean Baptiste Lamarck, and the Australian scientist Edward Suess put a certain geological meaning into it in 1875. But the complete doctrine associated with this term was created precisely by V.I. Vernadsky, investing in this term a completely different, much deeper meaning. The doctrine of the biosphere created by V.I. Vernadsky in 1926, considers “living organisms” as something whole and united”, “as a living substance, that is, the totality of all living organisms currently existing, numerically expressed in elemental chemical composition, in the weight of energy”. For the totality of organisms inhabiting the Earth, he introduced the term "living matter", and the biosphere began to be called the entire environment in which this living matter is located, that is, the entire water shell of the Earth, since living organisms exist at the greatest depths of the oceans, the lower part of the atmosphere, in which insects, birds fly, people live, as well as the upper part of the solid shell of the Earth - the lithosphere, in which living bacteria in groundwater are found to a depth of about two kilometers, and man has penetrated to even greater depths with his mines. IN AND. Vernadsky defines the biosphere as one of the geospheres, which has been radically and irreversibly changed under the influence of living beings in their current and past life activity. According to Vernadsky, the biosphere includes the lower layers of the stratosphere, the entire troposphere, the upper part of the lithosphere, composed of sedimentary rocks, and the hydrosphere. Above the earth's surface, the biosphere rises to a height of about 23 km, and below the surface it extends to a depth of 12 km. In different layers of the stratosphere there are more or less thick deposits of coal, oil and gas.

No one doubts the vegetable origin of coals, however, there are discrepancies regarding oil and underground gas; some geologists do not consider them organic in origin. IN AND. Vernadsky considered both oil and underground gases to be the result of the vital activity of the living components of the biosphere. In the last decade, when studying oil, it was found that some living bacteria exist in oil, thus life penetrates into more or less deep layers of the stratosphere.

Thus, the concept of the biosphere is very voluminous in terms of the radial dimensions of this shell, very deep in terms of understanding the role of life in all parts of the biosphere in its broadest sense, and also historical, since the stratosphere can be considered as the result of the development of the biosphere throughout geological time. Every living organism in the biosphere - a natural object - is a living natural body. The living matter of the biosphere is the totality of living organisms living in it. In the biosphere there is a "film of life", in which the concentration of living matter is maximum. This is the surface of the land, soil and upper layers of the waters of the oceans.

Above and below it, the amount of living matter in the Earth's biosphere decreases sharply. Much attention in his works on the biosphere V.I. Vernadsky paid attention to the green living matter of plants, because only it is autotrophic, only it is capable of capturing the radiant energy of the Sun and using it to create primary organic compounds. Having considered the volume and energy coefficients of various vegetation groups, V.I. Vernadsky came to the conclusion that "the green expanses of the ocean are the main transformers of the solar energy of our planet." A significant part of the energy of "living matter" goes to the formation within the biosphere of new vadose minerals, unknown outside the biosphere, and part is buried in the form of organic matter itself, eventually forming deposits of brown and hard coal, oil shale, oil and gas. “We are dealing here,” writes V.I. Vernadsky, - with a new process - with a slow penetration into the planet of the radiant energy of the Sun, which has reached the surface of the Earth. In this way, "living matter" changes the biosphere and the earth's crust. It continuously leaves in it a part of the chemical elements that have passed through it, creating huge thicknesses of unknown, in addition to it, vadose minerals or penetrating the inert matter of the biosphere with the finest dust of its remnants.

IN AND. Vernadsky believed that the earth's crust is mainly the remains of former biospheres, and even its granite-gneiss layer was formed as a result of metamorphism and remelting of rocks that once arose under the influence of living matter. He considered only basalts and other basic igneous rocks to be deep, not related in their genesis to the biosphere. Much attention is paid to the forms of presence in the biosphere of various chemical elements, the division of the "living matter" of the biosphere according to the sources of nutrition of organisms into auto - hetero and mycotrophic, the radiation of the field of stability of life or the limits of life, the features of life in the hydrosphere and on land, the geochemical cycles of condensed life and living films of the hydrosphere. It was the geological and cosmic perspectives of considering the role of living matter on the planet that led V.I. Vernadsky to the conclusion about the enormous thickness of the biosphere (several kilometers) and the heterogeneity of its composition.

2.1. The inevitability of the transition of the biosphere into the noosphere

One of the most interesting questions from a philosophical point of view is the evolution of the biosphere. IN AND. Vernadsky considered the volume and weight of the "living matter" of the biosphere to be unchanged throughout the entire geological history of the Earth. He assumed that in the process of biological evolution, only the forms of manifestation of life changed. He wrote a lot about great changes in the biosphere under the influence of human activity, about anthropogenic factors of geological processes. He considered this phenomenon to be new, superimposed on the stationary existence of the biosphere. In later works, from the mid-30s, V.I. Vernadsky revised his point of view and came to the conclusion that the biosphere, in terms of the mass of "living matter", its energy and degree of organization in the geological history of the Earth, has evolved all the time, changed, that the influence of human activity was a natural stage of this evolution and that as a result of its biosphere must inevitably change radically and move into a new state.

The emergence of man and the impact of his activities on the environment is not an accident, not a process "superimposed" on the natural course of events, but a certain natural stage in the evolution of the biosphere. This stage should lead to the fact that under the influence of scientific thought and the collective work of the united mankind, aimed at satisfying all its material and spiritual needs, the Earth's biosphere should move into a new state, which he proposed to call "noosphere" (from the Greek word "noos" - mind) - the sphere of the human mind. The term “noosphere” itself, like the term “biosphere”, does not belong to V.I. Vernadsky.

It arose in 1927 in the articles of the French mathematician Edouard Leroy, written after V.I. Vernadsky on the problem of geochemistry and biogeochemistry. VI Vernadsky began to use the term "noosphere" strictly in the mathematical sense. The "noosphere" is not an abstract realm of the mind, but a historically inevitable stage in the development of the biosphere. Back in 1926, in the article “Thoughts on the Modern Significance of the History of Knowledge,” he wrote: “The biosphere, created throughout the entire geological time, established in its equilibrium, begins to change more and more deeply under the influence of the scientific thought of mankind.” It was this biosphere of the Earth, changed by scientific thought and transformed to meet all the needs of a numerically growing humanity, that he later called the “noosphere”. IN AND. Vernadsky tried to answer the question of what are the real conditions or prerequisites for the formation of the noosphere that have already been created or are being created at the present time in the course of the historical development of mankind. According to V.I. Vernadsky, the main prerequisites for the creation of the noosphere are as follows.

1. Humanity has become one. World history has embraced the entire globe as a whole, completely done away with solitary, cultural historical regions of the past that were little dependent on each other. Now "there is not a single piece of the Earth where a person could not live if he needed it."

2. Transformation of means of communication and exchange. The noosphere is a single organized whole, all parts of which are harmoniously connected at various levels and act in concert with each other.

A necessary condition for this is fast, reliable communication between these parts that overcomes the greatest distances, a constant material exchange between them, a comprehensive exchange of information.

3. Discovery of new energy sources. The creation of the noosphere presupposes such a radical transformation by man of the nature around him that he cannot do without colossal amounts of energy. "At the very end of the last century, a new form of energy was unexpectedly discovered, the existence of which few minds foresaw - atomic energy." This was written back in the 1930s, and now we already see how mankind has mastered atomic energy and how its use for peaceful purposes is expanding every year.

4. Rise in the well-being of the working people. The noosphere is created by the mind and labor of the masses. 5. Equality of all people. Encompassing the entire planet as a whole, the noosphere, by its very nature, cannot be the privilege of any one nation or race. It is the work of the hands and minds of all peoples without exception.

6. Exclusion of wars from the life of society. In our time, war, threatening the very existence of mankind, has stood as the biggest obstacle to the noosphere. From this it follows that without the removal of this barrier, the achievement of the noosphere is practically impossible and, on the contrary, the destruction of the threat of war will mean that humanity has taken a major step towards the creation of the noosphere. The noosphere, according to Vernadsky, is a new geological shell of the Earth, created on scientific grounds. “Scientific thought,” he wrote, “covered the entire planet, all the states located on it.

2.2. Noosphere - the highest stage of development of the biosphere

The sphere of interaction between society and nature, within which rational activity appears to be the main, determining factor in the development of the biosphere and mankind, is called the noosphere. For the first time the term "noosphere" in 1926 - 1927. used by French scientists E. Lecroix (1870 - 1954) and P. Teilhard de Chardin (1881 - 1955) in the meaning of "new cover", "thinking layer", which, originating at the end of the Tertiary period, unfolds outside the biosphere over the world of plants and animals . In their view, the noosphere is an ideal, spiritual ("thinking") shell of the Earth, which arose with the emergence and development of human consciousness. The merit of filling this concept with materialistic content belongs to academician V. I. Vernadsky (1965, 1978).

In the view of V.I. Vernadsky, man is a part of living matter, subject to the general law of organization of the biosphere, outside of which it cannot exist. Man is part of the biosphere, the outstanding scientist argued. The goal of social development should be to preserve the organization of the biosphere. However, the preservation of its primary organization - "untouched nature" - does not carry a creative principle into a powerful geological force. "And before him, before his thought and work is the question of restructuring the biosphere in the interests of free-thinking humanity as a whole. This new state of the biosphere, to which we are approaching without noticing it, is the" noosphere ". The noosphere is a qualitatively new stage the evolution of the biosphere, in which new forms of its organization are created as a new unity arising from the interaction of nature and society.In it, the laws of nature are closely intertwined with the socio-economic laws of the development of society, forming the highest material integrity of "humanized nature".

IN AND. Vernadsky, who foresaw the advent of the era of the scientific and technological revolution in the 20th century, considered scientific thought to be the main prerequisite for the transition of the biosphere into the noosphere. Its material expression in the biosphere transformed by man is labor. The unity of thought and labor not only creates a new social essence of man, but also predetermines the transition of the biosphere into the noosphere. "Science is the maximum force for the creation of the noosphere" - this is the main position of V.I. Vernadsky in the doctrine of the biosphere, which calls for the transformation, not destruction of the ecumene.

2.3. Noosphere as a utopia

The founders of the doctrine of the noosphere believed that its formation leads to the ordering of natural and social reality, to more perfect forms of being. The noosphere arises as a result of a systematic, conscious transformation of the biosphere, its transformation into a qualitatively new state. This process was considered as an undoubted benefit, bringing to mankind the solution of difficult problems. IN AND. Vernadsky and even T. de Chardin associated it with the socialist organization of people's lives, expanding the task of overcoming the spontaneity of nature to society. In some cases, the noosphere was seen as the complete elimination of evil, as a universal harmony, which is especially typical of its cosmic variants. Some directions of thought that are close to the doctrine of the noosphere or are its prerequisites, for example, "Russian cosmism", in fact, are not subjected to sober analysis at all.

A critical look at them, as it were, testifies to the absence of loftiness of the spirit. The environmental trends of our time, however, are so alarming that they require thinking and acting in spite of theoretical stereotypes. We need a radical change in ideas about noogenesis. Its initial premises: the doctrine of the noosphere from the very beginning carried elements of utopia. Under the general pattern of life and death of utopias, the doctrine of the noosphere falls within that part of it where it is truly utopian. It also follows from this that if at the first stage of the formation of the noosphere it is difficult, unjustified to expect a critical attitude to the theoretical expression of the ongoing processes, then at the stage of their deployment, when hitherto hidden contradictions are revealed, we must turn to reflection on theory. Now the noosphere is in the stage of intensive development and, in terms of the scale of its inherent processes, competes with the "pure" biosphere. There was a threat to the existence of nature as an independent integrity. Meanwhile, the attitude towards the noosphere continues to be predominantly enthusiastic, as if its development has nothing to do with the crisis of modern civilization.

“According to V.I. Vernadsky, the noosphere is a harmonious combination of nature and society, it is the triumph of reason and humanism, it is science, social development and state policy merged together for the benefit of man, it is a world without weapons, wars and environmental problems, it is a dream, a goal facing people of good will, this is faith in the great mission of science and humanity, armed with science. A similar uncritical attitude to the noosphere dominates our everyday consciousness, science and philosophy.

2.4. Reality of the noosphere

Every more or less educated person of our time, no matter what environment of activity he is involved in, has heard this somewhat mysterious and enticing word with some deep meanings and hope: noosphere. It is recognized by the wide consciousness as a special novelty of the 20th century, perhaps, such as the theory of evolution was for the public of the last century. The noosphere for the second half of our century is often the same wise and vague celebrity, causing some awe, as the theory of relativity was for the first half. The essence of the ideas of Leroy and T. de Chardin was that evolution in man produced a fundamentally new tool for its further development, prepared by a long process of improving the nervous system; this is a special spiritual-psychic ability that did not exist in nature before: a mind of a reflective type, possessing self-awareness, the ability to deeply know oneself and the world. What is the actual content of the processes in the “area of ​​the planet covered by intelligent human activity?

The formation of the noosphere and the emergence of crisis situations that threaten the very existence of the human race are one and the same process. The noosphere as a reality is an artificial environment that crowds and suppresses the area of ​​biological existence. The formation of the artificial environment opened up unprecedented opportunities for people to increase material security, comfort and security, raised a new level of cultural development, but it also leads to water and air pollution, soil desertification, and general degradation of the natural habitat. In terms of consequences for humans, the excessive growth of an artificial phenomenon turns out to be purely contradictory, with unclear prospects. The content of the mind must be something that, when embodied, provides a tool.

Since the content of the mind is terms and their relations, it can be said that tools are nothing but materialized terms, and therefore constant parallels can be seen between the laws of thought and technical achievements. It is no coincidence that we narrow the need for updating the worldview, ideology, psychology to the need for “new thinking”. Spirituality began to be called a mentality, culture is being scientized. Therefore, we have to admit that the true denotation of the noosphere is an artificial reality, the forming factor of which, in the broad sense of the word, is technology. The main global contradiction, between the natural and the artificial, between the universe of nature and the universe of activity.

It has existed since the advent of mankind, and is now aggravated to a critical state. The world is full of forcing various threats to man as a biological species. Let's not grow them. All of them are generalized in the possibility of disturbing the ecological balance of the planet, after which irreversible chaotic processes will begin. The most likely trigger could be the depletion of the ozone layer of the atmosphere.

The amount of fluorine-containing hydrocarbons in it continues to increase, threatening the health of all life on earth, including plants. As if in response to this and other threats, a person is already trying to “protect himself” from the environment where he should live: artificial climate installations, air conditioners, ionizers and other purifiers, up to gas masks, are included in everyday life. Bringing such tendencies to their logical end means locking a person in his apartment or work space as in the cockpit of a spaceship. He crosses the street like enemy territory. The noosphere as harmony is an analogue of the political utopia of communism and other, more vulnerable dreams of paradise.

In keeping with the spirit of the times, it relies on science. This is how it should be treated, although there is no point in speaking out against hopes and utopias. They are useful to the extent that, by softening the tragic realities, they help to live. When a utopia interferes with a sober view of things, then it can become more dangerous than what it saves from. We need realistic hopes, functional utopias, hopes that a long-term joint development of the biosphere and noosphere is possible, in which the rate of transformation of the environment will not be higher than the rate of our adaptation to it. These hopes must be fought for, as they are a condition for the survival of mankind.

2.5. Noosphere - the sphere of the mind

The name noosphere comes from the Greek "noos" - mind and thus means the sphere of mind. However, the idea of ​​the noosphere is currently not unambiguous. IN AND. Vernadsky, developing the doctrine of the biosphere, gave the concept of the noosphere a deeply scientific content, which should be taken into account in the process of restructuring the environment and society. In this regard, the noosphere should be considered as the highest stage in the development of the biosphere, associated with the development of human society in it, which, knowing the laws of nature and development and developing technology to the highest level of its capabilities, becomes a major planetary force, exceeding in scale all known geological processes together. taken. At the same time, humanity has a decisive influence on the course of all processes in the biosphere, profoundly changing it with its labor. Scientific and practical significance of V.I. Vernadsky, the founder of the doctrine of the biosphere, lies in the fact that for the first time, fully armed with knowledge, he deeply substantiated the unity of man and the biosphere. Living matter itself as the bearer of the mind is a small part of the biosphere by weight. The emergence of man and human society was the result of living matter within the biosphere.

Assessing the role of the human mind and scientific thought as a planetary phenomenon, V.I. Vernadsky came to the following conclusions:

1. “The course of scientific creativity is the force by which a person changes the biosphere in which he lives.

2. This manifestation of a change in the biosphere is an inevitable phenomenon accompanying the growth of scientific thought.

3. This change in the biosphere occurs independently of human will, spontaneously, as a natural process.

4. And since the environment of life is an organized shell of the planet - the biosphere, then the entry into the course of its geologically long existence of a new factor in its change - the scientific work of mankind - is a natural process of the transition of the biosphere into a new phase, into a new state - into the noosphere.

5. At the historical moment we are living through, we see this more clearly than we could see before. Here the "law of nature" is revealed to us. New sciences - geochemistry and biochemistry - make it possible to express some important features of the process mathematically. After the works of V.I. Vernadsky has accumulated vast material on the biosphere, on the production activity of human society. In connection with the development of productive forces, circulations of matter new in quality arise in the biosphere along the path of its transformation into the noosphere.

Their main features are as follows.

1. An increase in the mechanically extractable material of the earth's crust - an increase in the development of mineral deposits.

2. There is a mass consumption (burning) of the products of photosynthesis of past geological epochs.

3. Processes in the anthropogenic biosphere lead to the dissipation of energy, and not to its accumulation, which was characteristic of the biosphere before the appearance of man.

4. Substances that were previously absent in the biosphere, including pure metals, are created in mass quantities in the biosphere.

5. Transuranium chemical elements (plutonium, etc.) appear, albeit in negligibly small quantities, in connection with the development of nuclear technology and nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is being mastered through the fission of heavy nuclei.

6. The noosphere goes beyond the Earth in connection with the progress of the scientific and technological revolution. In connection with the consumer attitude to natural resources and the accumulation of production waste, the anthropogenic load on the biosphere is rapidly increasing and bringing the biosphere closer to a critical state. Naturally, the problem of limiting anthropogenic impacts arises, which is becoming extremely relevant today. This is recognized by the scientific community and many politicians.

In connection with the increasing anthropogenic load on the biosphere, numerous problems arise that must be solved in the near future in order to avoid fatal consequences. This is an extremely important task, the solution of which will require great efforts on the part of the human mind, the involvement of scientists in the field of natural sciences and the humanities.

2.6. Noosphere concept

The genius of V.I. Vernadsky as the founder of the doctrine of the biosphere - the natural science basis of the concept of the noosphere - lies in the fact that he first understood and, with the totality of scientific knowledge, deeply substantiated the unity of man and the biosphere. This is the greatest discovery of V.I. Vernadsky, in terms of its social consequences, belongs to the heights of world natural science, to the enduring conquests of modern and future human civilization. Without it, the essence of the concept of the noosphere cannot be created - and cannot now be understood. Foreseen by V.I. Vernadsky, the onset of the era of scientific and technological revolution in the twentieth century. was the birth of a new era of humanity - the noosphere. And with the first basic prerequisite for the transition of the biosphere to a qualitatively new evolutionary state, “the maximum force for the creation of the noosphere”, according to V.I. Vernadsky, scientific thought serves. Its material expression in the biosphere transformed by man is labor. The unity of thought and labor, labor and thought creates a new social essence of man, predetermines the transition of the biosphere into the noosphere. According to V.I.

Vernadsky, is a unifying moral and ethical basis and the absence of destructive wars. Peace between peoples in the conditions of the transition of the biosphere into the noosphere is one of the main determining factors in the construction of the noosphere in the historical period of the life of several generations. All activities of mankind in the creation of the noosphere should be guided by a unifying humanistic idea as a manifestation of the highest expedient activity of people for the benefit of both the whole society and the individual human being. In the noosphere, noted V.I.

Vernadsky, the development of a free human personality becomes the highest social value. Based on the foregoing, we can draw the following conclusions about the possibility of using the noospheric concept of V.I. Vernadsky as a basis for the development of fundamental theory:

1. The natural scientific foundation of the concept of the noosphere is the doctrine created by V.I. Vernadsky about the biosphere as an integral planetary shell, which has received worldwide recognition and is being intensively developed at the present time.

2. The concept of the noosphere reflects a new, objectively occurring in the world, spontaneous process of the transition of the biosphere to a new evolutionary state - the noosphere under the influence of social scientific thought and labor of mankind. This process, dating back to the beginning of the era of scientific and technological revolution, is predetermined by the emergence and sharp acceleration of scientific and technological progress in the twentieth century in most of the Earth.

3. According to V.I.

Vernadsky, is served by the sharply increased creative activity of the masses, their desire to obtain maximum scientific knowledge, participation in public life and government.

4. The only viable socio-economic and political basis for building the noosphere is, according to V.I. Vernadsky, scientific socialism.

5. The concept of the noosphere reveals the optimal ways of interaction between society and nature.

6. The real construction of the foundations of the noosphere in the historical period of mature socialism, based on the essence of the noosphere concept, is possible through the transition of the economy to the path of intensive development, strengthening the applied value of science, and the formation of a new type of scientific management.

7. The concept of the noosphere as the highest social value puts the development of a free personality in a harmonious environment. Thus, the concept of the noosphere meets the ideals of humanism.

8. The concept of the noosphere puts forward the absence of destructive wars between peoples as a fundamental condition for its creation and manifestation. The founder of the general doctrine of the biosphere V.I. Vernadsky has repeatedly emphasized that the common concepts of "nature" can correspond either to part or to the entire biosphere of the Earth. Other "nature", except for the biosphere - the planetary shell, developing under the influence of living matter, does not really exist.

The natural component of the noospheric complex is the biosphere as a whole and its separate ecological regions (ecosystems and their combinations). The biosphere here appears in three main essences: 1) the cradle of a reasonable person, the irremovable basis of his physical and spiritual enrichment, 2) the material carrier of all economic and social transformations of society without exception, 3) the only source of all natural resources known today. Consequently, the biosphere serves as a real space - time, accommodating the entire process of socio-historical development. In the knowledge of the laws of evolution of the biosphere and its organization lies the key to a truly reasonable transformation of its work and social thought of man, to the construction of the noosphere.

2.7. Man and the noosphere

Modern humanity has such a huge amount of knowledge about the world, uses in its activities such powerful means and methods of cognition that past generations could not even dream of.

But the main thing is that in the second half of the twentieth century, for the first time in history, the problem of environmental changes dangerous for humans arose. Life, living matter, was actively transforming its shell even before the appearance of mankind on Earth. Limestone mountains are the remains of countless shells. Coal deposits, numbering billions of tons of plant fossils, are also the result of the vital activity of organisms. But never in the past has the activity of living beings threatened life itself.

Today, the biosphere has become a source of processes that threaten its own existence. The nature-transforming activity of mankind has become for the planet comparable in terms of the impact on its shell with such natural factors as geological processes, the evolution of the animal and plant world, and the like. People extract from the bowels of the Earth and process not hundreds of thousands, but billions of tons of minerals, but a significant part of the extracted wealth, in the end, turns into waste of human activity, increasingly polluting the natural environment - the atmosphere, hydrosphere, land surface. Giant landforms and mines, dumps and waste heaps, roads and inhabited territories have transformed the face of the planet. Every year, dozens of species of plants, insects, animals, thousands of hectares of green forests, which supply oxygen necessary for all living things, disappear from the face of the Earth.

This is how the problem of ecology arose and continues to aggravate - the preservation of the environment in the form necessary for human existence. Mankind has entered near-Earth and distant space. Near-Earth space can no longer be imagined without dozens of flying satellites, space laboratories, and probes. Radio signals sent by earthlings with the help of powerful transmitters are detected at great distances from the Earth. Spacecraft reach the vicinity of the planets most distant from the Sun. All this has introduced so far not very noticeable, but already unavoidable changes in outer space. Human activity has become a cosmoplanetary factor. Until relatively recently, people did not think about their own influence on the world around them: these influences seemed too small. Even in the first half of the twentieth century, humanity continued to oppose itself to nature. Yes, at the same time, it was recognized that man is a part of nature, its product, but one that should dominate the rest of nature.

Do not wait for favors from nature, but take what you need by force, conquer the world around you - how familiar were these words! But power over the Earth is not only tempting: it places a huge responsibility on the one who took it into their own hands. This responsibility was forgotten by mankind, who believed that the resources of nature are endless. It turned out that they are not infinite. Understanding how, in essence, the Earth is small, how close the non-renewable reserves of many minerals are to exhaustion, came quite recently. The threat of a shortage of oil reserves has become tangible. Disappeared from the face of the Earth uninhabited spaces, convenient for the expansion of agriculture. It became clear that even simple clean fresh water on the planet is not so much. People finally began to understand that the technical activity of mankind can lead to such consequences, to such changes in the Earth, under which life on the planet will become impossible. The economy and the development of science and technology are able to solve the modern global problems of mankind, including the problem of the ecological crisis.

3.Conclusion

I think that the successful resolution of the diverse global problems brought to the fore in the modern era, including environmental ones, is impossible without referring to the teachings of V.I. Vernadsky about the biosphere and noosphere. The greatness of the boundless Cosmos, in relation to which any human life seems to be an infinitesimal quantity, does not fit into ordinary human consciousness. With the advent of mankind, the spontaneous historical development of life on our planet is constantly placed under the universal conscious control of the human mind: this is the very process that V.I. Vernadsky imagined it as the transformation of the biosphere into the noosphere. He did not leave a complete doctrine of the noosphere, hence the numerous and often incorrect interpretations of the concept itself. Some authors believe that this is a planetary flow of information, “supporting or changing the structure of the world, this is constantly emerging and developing knowledge”, others identify the noosphere with the technosphere, anthroposphere, etc.

In my opinion, with such an understanding of the noosphere, the most important thing in Vernadsky's concept is overlooked - not only the role of the conscious in the process of transforming nature, but also the idea of ​​man's creative impact on the environment. The increased exploitation of natural resources, the growing pollution of the environment with industrial waste, the growth of diseases, the constant hunger of millions of people - to eliminate all this, the concerted efforts of science and humanity as a whole are required. The scientist associated the need to optimize the biosphere not only with the purely biospheric needs of man (that is, the needs in the natural environment as such). Man is understood by him not only as a purely natural force, a “geological substratum”, but as a force that optimizes its activity in nature in accordance with the laws of nature and beauty. The noosphere is an integral geological shell of the Earth, formed as a result of the synthesis of the technical and cultural activities of people and natural processes on the basis of social justice and beauty.

I believe that the unifying principle of this integrity is the harmony of man with nature, its beauty. It is significant that it is in Russia, which became the birthplace of the scientific doctrine of the biosphere and its transition to the noosphere, which was destined to open the way to outer space, that, starting from the middle of the last century, a unique current of active evolutionary thought has been maturing, which developed widely in the 20th century and gave a deep theory, striking anticipations, looking not only into our own, but also into much more distant times.

4. Literature used

1. “V.I. Vernadsky and modernity "Publishing house Moscow" Nauka ", 1986.

2. Historical and biographical almanac of the series "The Life of Remarkable People" Volume 15 Publishing House Moscow "Young Guard", 1988.

3. G.V. Voitkevich, V.A. Vronsky "Fundamentals of the doctrine of the biosphere" Publishing house Rostov-on-Don: "Phoenix", 1996

4. "Philosophy of Russian cosmism" Publisher: Fund "New Millennium", 1996. 5. "Noosphere: the spiritual world of man" Publishing house "Lenizdat", 1987

6. Ecology textbook for universities V.I. Korobkin, L.V. Predelsky. – Ed. 13th – Rostov n/a: Phoenix, 2008

7. Akimova T.A., Khaskin V.V. "Ecology" 1988

8. Budyko M. I. “Evolution of the biosphere”, 1984

9. Levchenko V.F. Models and theories of biological evolution St. Petersburg: Nauka, 1993.

10. Vernadsky V.I. Biosphere and noosphere. M, 1989

11. Website Wikipedia.ru

The famous Russian scientist V.I. Vernadsky almost a century ago, in 1927, introduced new concepts to the general scientific community, the relevance of which we are now becoming more and more convinced of. We are talking about the doctrine of the noosphere, which arose from the philosophical doctrine of the inseparable unity of man and the cosmos, man and the universe, the regulated evolution of the world (the doctrine of cosmism).

The concept of the noosphere as an ideal, “thinking” shell flowing around the globe, the formation of which is associated with the emergence and development of human consciousness, was put into circulation at the beginning of the 20th century by French scientists P. Teilhard de Chardin and E. Lehrtz.

And the merit is V.I. Vernadsky in that he filled this term with a new, materialistic content, understandable to the layman and the structure of the scientific community. And today, by the noosphere, we understand the highest stage of the biosphere, associated with the emergence and development of mankind, which, knowing the laws of nature and improving technology, begins to exert a decisive influence on the course of processes on Earth and in near-Earth space, changing them with its activity.

The noosphere (from the Greek noos - mind) is the biosphere, intelligently controlled by man. The noosphere is the highest stage in the development of the biosphere, associated with the emergence and formation of a civilized society in it, with a period when intelligent human activity becomes the main factor in development on Earth.

Realizing the enormous role and importance of man in the life of the transformation of the planet, Vernadsky uses the concept of “noosphere” in different senses:

1) as a state of the planet, when a person becomes the largest transformative geological force;

2) as an area of ​​active manifestation of scientific thought;

3) as the main factor in the restructuring and change of the biosphere.

The noosphere can be characterized as the unity of "nature" and "culture". Vernadsky himself spoke of it either as a reality of the future, or as a reality of our days, which is not surprising, since he thought in terms of geological time. The biosphere has more than once passed into a new evolutionary state, V. I. Vernadsky notes. New geological manifestations arose in it, which had not been before. It was, for example, in the Cambrian, when large organisms with calcium skeletons appeared, or in the Tertiary time (maybe the end of the Cretaceous), 15-80 million years ago, when our forests and steppes were created and the life of large mammals developed.

We are experiencing this even now, over the past 10-20 thousand years, when a person, having developed scientific thought in the social environment, creates a new geological force in the biosphere, which was not in it. The biosphere has passed or, rather, is moving into a new evolutionary state - into the noosphere - being processed by the scientific thought of social humanity.

Thus, the concept of "noosphere" appears in two aspects:

1. the noosphere in its infancy, developing spontaneously from the moment of the appearance of man;

2. developed noosphere, consciously formed by the joint efforts of people in the interests of the all-round development of all mankind and each individual.

What is the noosphere

According to V.I. Vernadsky, the noosphere is just being created, arises as a result of a real, material transformation of the Earth's geology by man through the efforts of thought and labor. Here you can think - if the world of people is much older than official science writes, then the noosphere has existed for a very long time ...

Vernadsky believed that scientific thought is the same naturally inevitable, natural phenomenon that arose in the course of the evolution of living matter, like the human mind, it develops in the same polar vector of time and can neither turn back nor completely stop, melting in itself the potential for development is virtually limitless. We note how science strongly and profoundly activates the change in the Earth's biosphere, it changes the situations of life, geological movements, and the energy of the globe.

Hence, scientific thought is a natural phenomenon. “At the moment we are experiencing the creation of a new geological force, scientific thought, the influence of living society in the evolution of the biosphere sharply increases. The biosphere, processed by the scientific thought of Homo Sapiens, passes into its new state - into the noosphere. It is necessary to emphasize the inseparable connection between the creation of the noosphere and the growth of scientific thought, which is the first necessary prerequisite for this creation, the noosphere can be created only under this condition.

A pessimistic attitude towards the possibilities of science and its future is now in vogue. This is not accidental, since scientific knowledge is undergoing a state of deep crisis and restructuring. Signs of this crisis were also observed in the first half of the 20th century, but V.I. Vernadsky remained optimistic about the future of mankind as well.

We are approaching a new era in the life of mankind and life on our planet in general, when exact science as a planetary force comes to the fore, penetrating and changing the entire spiritual environment of human societies, when it embraces and changes the technique of life, artistic creativity, philosophical thought, religious a life. This was an inevitable consequence - for the first time on our planet - of the capture by ever-growing human societies, as a single whole, of the entire surface of the Earth, the transformation of the biosphere into the noosphere with the help of the directed human mind.

These are the objective foundations and consequences of noospheric globalization according to Vernadsky and its fundamental difference from the current model of globalization, carried out in the interests of states and leading to further destruction of the natural environment and ecocatastrophe.

According to Vernadsky's theory, a person, having embraced the entire planet with scientific thought, strives to move in the direction of comprehending the Divine laws. Vernadsky focuses on the biosphere and noosphere of the Earth. The biosphere, as the total shell of the Earth, is permeated with life (the sphere of life), naturally, under the influence of the activities of human society, it passes into the noosphere - a new state of the biosphere, which carries the results of human labor. Vernadsky proceeds from the fact that man "is an inevitable manifestation of a large natural process, naturally lasting for at least two billion years."

So, Vernadsky proceeds from the fact that the starting point in the knowledge of the Universe is man, since the emergence of man is connected with the main process of the evolution of cosmic matter. Describing the coming era of the mind at the energy level, Vernadsky points to the evolutionary transition from geochemical processes to biochemical ones, and, finally, to the energy of thought.

Significance of Vernadsky's theory

The scientific and practical significance of Vernadsky as the founder of the doctrine of the noosphere lies in the fact that he was the first to deeply substantiate the unity of man and the biosphere.

Very important in the teachings of V.I. Vernadsky about the noosphere was that he first realized and tried to implement a synthesis of natural and social sciences while studying the problem of global human activity, actively rebuilding the environment. In his opinion, the noosphere is already a qualitatively different, higher stage of the biosphere, associated with a radical transformation not only of nature, but also of man. This is not an easy area of ​​application of human knowledge at a high level of technology. For this, the concept of “technosphere” suffices. We are talking about such a stage in the life of mankind when the transforming activity of man will be based on a strictly scientific and really reasonable understanding of all ongoing processes and will necessarily be combined with the “interests of nature”.

Currently, the noosphere is understood as the sphere of interaction between man and nature, within which reasonable human activity becomes the main determining factor in development. In the structure of the noosphere, humanity, social systems, the totality of scientific knowledge, the sum of equipment and technologies in unity with the biosphere can be distinguished as components. The harmonious interconnection of all components of the structure is the basis for the sustainable existence and development of the noosphere.

V.I. Vernadsky, we meet a different approach. In his doctrine of the biosphere, living matter transforms the upper shell of the Earth. Gradually, human intervention is increasing, humanity is becoming the main planetary geological force. His understanding of this thesis is also necessary for his own survival. The spontaneity of development will make the biosphere unsuitable for human habitation. In this regard, a person should measure his needs with the capabilities of the biosphere. The impact on it should be dosed by the mind in the course of the evolution of the biosphere and society. Gradually, the biosphere is transformed into the noosphere, where its development acquires a controlled character.

This is the difficult nature of the evolution of nature, the biosphere, as well as the complexity of the emergence of the noosphere, determining the role and place of man in it. IN AND. Vernadsky repeatedly emphasized that humanity is only entering this state. And today, several decades after the scientist's death, there are no sufficient grounds to talk about stable intelligent human activity (that is, that we have already reached the state of the noosphere). And so it will be at least until humanity solves the global problems of the planet, including environmental ones.

Great achievements in the natural sciences were made by V.I. Vernadsky. He has many works, and he became the founder of biogeochemistry, a new scientific direction. It is based on the doctrine of the biosphere, which is based on the role of living matter in geological processes.

The essence of the biosphere

To date, there are several concepts of the biosphere, the main among which is the following: the biosphere is the environment for the existence of all living organisms. The region covers most of the atmosphere and ends at the beginning of the ozone layer. The biosphere also includes the entire hydrosphere and some part of the lithosphere. Translated from Greek, the word means “ball” and it is within this space that all living organisms live.

The scientist Vernadsky believed that the biosphere is an organized sphere of the planet, which is in contact with life. He was the first to create a holistic doctrine and revealed the concept of "biosphere". The work of the Russian scientist began in 1919, and already in 1926 the genius presented his book Biosphere to the world.

According to Vernadsky, the biosphere is a space, region, place, which consists of living organisms and their habitat. In addition, the scientist considered the biosphere to be derivative. He argued that it is a planetary phenomenon of a cosmic nature. A feature of this space is the "living matter" that inhabits the space, and also gives a unique look to our planet. Under living matter, the scientist understood all living organisms of the planet Earth. Vernadsky believed that various factors influence the boundaries and development of the biosphere:

• living matter;
• oxygen;
• carbon dioxide;
• water in liquid state.

This environment, in which life is concentrated, can be limited by high and low air temperatures, minerals and excessively salty water.

The composition of the biosphere according to Vernadsky

Initially, Vernadsky believed that the biosphere consists of seven different substances, interconnected geologically. These include:

• living matter - this element consists of a huge biochemical energy, which is created as a result of the continuous birth and death of living organisms;
• bioinert substance - created and processed thanks to living organisms. These elements include soil, fossil fuels, etc.;
• inert matter - refers to inanimate nature;
• biogenic substance - a set of living organisms, for example, forest, field, plankton. As a result of their death, biogenic rocks are formed;
• radioactive substance;
• cosmic matter - elements of cosmic dust and meteorites;
• scattered atoms.

A little later, the scientist came to the conclusion that the biosphere is based on living matter, which is understood as the totality of living beings interacting with inanimate bone matter. Also in the biosphere there is a biogenic substance that is created with the help of living organisms, and these are mainly rocks and minerals. In addition, the biosphere includes a bio-inert substance, which occurred as a result of the relationship of living beings and inert processes.

Properties of the biosphere

Vernadsky carefully studied the properties of the biosphere and came to the conclusion that the basis of the functioning of the system is the endless circulation of matter and energy. These processes are possible only as a result of the activity of a living organism. Living beings (autotrophs and heterotrophs) create the necessary chemical elements in the course of their existence. So, with the help of autotrophs, the energy of sunlight is converted into chemical compounds. Heterotrophs, in turn, consume the created energy and lead to the destruction of organic substances to mineral compounds. The latter are the foundation for the creation of new organic substances by autotrophs. Thus, there is a cyclic circulation of substances.

It is thanks to the biological cycle that the biosphere is a self-sustaining system. The circulation of chemical elements is fundamental for living organisms and their existence in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and soil.

The main provisions of the doctrine of the biosphere

Vernadsky outlined the key provisions of the doctrine in the works "Biosphere", "Area of ​​Life", "Biosphere and Space". The scientist marked the boundaries of the biosphere, including the entire hydrosphere along with the ocean depths, the earth's surface (the upper layer of the lithosphere) and part of the atmosphere up to the level of the troposphere. The biosphere is an integral system. If one of its elements dies, the biospheric shell will collapse.

Vernadsky was the first of the scientists who began to use the concept of "living matter". He defined life as a phase of the development of matter. It is living organisms that subjugate other processes that occur on the planet.

Characterizing the biosphere, Vernadsky asserted the following propositions:

• the biosphere is an organized system;
• living organisms are the dominant factor on the planet and they have shaped the present state of our planet;
• cosmic energy influences life on earth

Thus, Vernadsky laid the foundations of biogeochemistry and the doctrine of the biosphere. Many of his statements are relevant today. Modern scientists continue to study the biosphere, but they also confidently rely on the teachings of Vernadsky. Life in the biosphere is widespread everywhere and living organisms live everywhere, which cannot exist outside the biosphere.

Conclusion

The works of the famous Russian scientist are spread all over the world and are used in our time. The wide application of Vernadsky's teachings can be seen not only in ecology, but also in geography. Thanks to the works of the scientist, the protection and care of humanity has become one of the most urgent tasks today. Unfortunately, every year there are more and more problems with the environment, which threatens the full existence of the biosphere in the future. In this regard, it is necessary to ensure the sustainable development of the system and minimize the development of negative impacts on the environment.

Academician Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (1864-1945) was one of the outstanding natural scientists who devoted himself to studying the processes occurring in the biosphere. He is the founder of the scientific direction, named by him biogeochemistry which formed the basis of the modern theory of the biosphere.

Research by V.I. Vernadsky led to the realization of the role of life and living matter in geological processes. The appearance of the Earth, its atmosphere, sedimentary rocks, landscapes - all this is the result of the vital activity of living organisms. Vernadsky assigned a special role in the formation of the face of our planet to man. He presented the activity of mankind as a spontaneous natural process, the origins of which are lost in the depths of history.

Being an outstanding theorist, V.I. Vernadsky stood at the origins of such new and now universally recognized sciences as radiogeology, biogeochemistry, the doctrine of the biosphere and noosphere, science of science.

In 1926 V.I. Vernadsky published the book "Biosphere", which marked the birth of a new science about nature and the relationship of man with it. The biosphere is shown for the first time as a single dynamic system inhabited and controlled by life, the living matter of the planet: "The biosphere is an organized, definite shell of the earth's crust, associated with life." The scientist established that the interaction of living matter with inert matter is part of a large mechanism of the earth's crust, due to which various geochemical and biogenic processes take place, atoms migrate, and they participate in geological and biological cycles.

IN AND. Vernadsky emphasized that the biosphere is the result of geological and biological development and the interaction of inert and biogenic matter. On the one hand, it is the environment of life, and on the other hand, it is the result of life activity. The specificity of the modern biosphere is clearly directed energy flows and biogenic (associated with the activities of living beings) circulation of substances. Vernadsky was the first to show that the chemical state of the outer crust of our planet is entirely under the influence of life and is determined by living organisms, with whose activity the great planetary process is connected - the mythology of chemical elements in the biosphere. The evolution of species, leading to the creation of life forms, is stable in the biosphere and must go in the direction of increasing the biogenic migration of atoms.

IN AND. Vernadsky noted that the limits of the biosphere are determined primarily by the field of existence of life. The development of life, and consequently, the boundaries of the biosphere, is influenced by many factors, and above all, the presence of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water in its liquid phase. Too high or low temperatures, elements of mineral nutrition also limit the area of ​​\u200b\u200bdistribution of life. The supersaline environment (exceeding the concentration of salts in sea water by about 10 times) can also be attributed to the limiting factors. Groundwater with a salt concentration of over 270 g/l is deprived of life.

According to Vernadsky's ideas, the biosphere consists of several heterogeneous components. The main and main living matter, the totality of all living organisms that inhabit the Earth. In the process of life, living organisms interact with non-living (abiogenic) - inert substance. Such a substance is formed as a result of processes in which living organisms do not take part, for example, igneous rocks. The next component is nutrient, created and processed by living organisms (atmospheric gases, coal, oil, peat, limestone, chalk, forest litter, soil humus, etc.). Another component of the biosphere - bio-inert substance- the result of the joint activity of living organisms (water, soil, weathering crust, sedimentary rocks, clay materials) and inert (abiogenic) processes.

Inert matter sharply prevails in mass and volume. Living matter by mass makes up an insignificant part of our planet: approximately 0.25% of the biosphere. Moreover, "the mass of living matter remains basically constant and is determined by the radiant solar energy of the planet's population." At present, this conclusion of Vernadsky is called the law of constancy.

IN AND. Vernadsky formulated five postulates relating to the function of the biosphere.

The first postulate: “From the very beginning of the biosphere, the life included in it should already have been a complex body, and not a homogeneous substance, since its biogeochemical functions associated with life, in terms of diversity and complexity, cannot be the lot of any one form of life.” In other words, the primitive biosphere was originally characterized by rich functional diversity.

The second postulate: “Organisms do not manifest themselves singly, but in a mass effect ... The first appearance of life ... should have occurred not in the form of the appearance of any one kind of organisms, but their combination, corresponding to the geochemical function of life. Biocenoses should have appeared immediately.

The third postulate: "In the general monolith of life, no matter how its constituent parts change, their chemical functions could not be affected by morphological change." That is, the primary biosphere was represented by "sets" of organisms such as biocenoses, which were the main "acting force" of geochemical transformations. Morphological changes in "aggregates" were not reflected in the "chemical functions" of these components.

The fourth postulate: "Living organisms ... by their breathing, their nutrition, their metabolism ... by the continuous change of generations ... give rise to one of the grandest planetary phenomena ... - the migration of chemical elements in the biosphere", therefore "throughout the past millions years, we see the formation of the same minerals, at all times there were the same cycles of chemical elements that we see now.

Fifth postulate: "Without exception, all the functions of living matter in the biosphere can be performed by the simplest unicellular organisms."

Developing the doctrine of the biosphere, V.I. Vernadsky came to the conclusion that the main transformer of cosmic energy is the green matter of plants. Only they are able to absorb the energy of solar radiation and synthesize primary organic compounds.

The main provisions of the teachings of V.I. Vernadsky about the biosphere (1863-1945)

To the concept of "" (without the term itself) as early as the beginning of the 19th century. came up Lamarck. Later (1863) French explorer reut used the term "biosphere" to refer to the area of ​​distribution of life on the earth's surface. In 1875 an Austrian geologist Suess called the biosphere a special shell of the Earth, including the totality of all organisms, opposing it to others

earthly shells. Starting with the work of Suess, biosphere is interpreted as a set of organisms inhabiting the Earth.

The complete doctrine of the biosphere was created by our compatriot academician Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky. The main ideas of V. I. Vernadsky in the doctrine of the biosphere were formed at the beginning of the 20th century. He expounded them in lectures in Paris. In 1926, his ideas about the biosphere were formulated in the book "Biosphere", consisting of two essays: "Biosphere and space" and "Life area". Later, these same ideas were developed in a large monograph "Chemical structure of the Earth's biosphere and its environment", which, unfortunately, was not published until 20 years after his death.

First of all, V.I. Vernadsky defined the space that covers biosphere Earth - the entire hydrosphere to the maximum depths of the oceans, the upper part of the lithosphere of the continents to a depth of about 3 km and the lower part of the atmosphere to the upper boundary of the troposphere. He introduced the integral concept into science living matter and began to call the biosphere the area of ​​\u200b\u200bexistence on Earth of "living matter", which is a complex combination of microorganisms, algae, fungi, plants and animals. In essence, we are talking about a single thermodynamic shell (space) in which life and
there is a constant interaction of all living things with inorganic environmental conditions (a film of life). He showed that the biosphere differs from other spheres of the Earth in that the geological activity of all living organisms takes place inside it. Living organisms, converting solar energy, are a powerful force that affects geological processes.

A specific feature of the biosphere as a special shell of the Earth is the continuous circulation of substances in it, regulated by the activity of living organisms. According to V.I. Vernadsky, in the past they clearly underestimated the contribution of living organisms to the energy of the biosphere and their influence on inanimate bodies. Although living matter in terms of volume and mass makes up an insignificant part of the biosphere, it plays a major role in the geological processes associated with changing the appearance of our planet.

Pursuing the science he created biochemistry, studying the distribution of chemical elements on the surface of the planet, V.I. Vernadsky came to the conclusion that there is practically not a single element from the periodic table that would not be included in living matter. He formulated three important biogeochemical principles:

• Biogenic migration of chemical elements in the biosphere always tends to its maximum manifestation. This principle is now violated by man.
• The evolution of species in the course of geological time, leading to the creation of life forms stable in the biosphere, occurs in a direction that enhances the biogenic migration of atoms.
• Living matter is in continuous chemical exchange with its environment, which is created and maintained on Earth by the cosmic energy of the Sun. Due to the violation of the first two principles, cosmic influences from supporting the biosphere can turn into factors that destroy it.

The listed geochemical principles correlate with the following important conclusions of V.I. Vernadsky: each organism can exist only under the condition of constant close connection with other organisms and inanimate nature; life with all its manifestations has produced profound changes on our planet.

The initial basis for the existence of the biosphere and the biochemical processes occurring in it is the astronomical position of our planet and, first of all, its distance from the Sun and the inclination of the earth's axis to the plane of the earth's orbit. This spatial arrangement of the Earth determines mainly the climate of the Earth, and the latter, in turn, determines the life cycles of all organisms existing on it. The sun is the main energy source of the biosphere and the regulator of all geological, chemical and biological processes on Earth.

The living matter of the planet Earth

The main idea of ​​V.I. Vernadsky lies in the fact that the highest phase of the development of matter on Earth - life - determines and subjugates other planetary processes. On this occasion, he wrote that it can be said without exaggeration that the chemical state of the outer crust of our planet, the biosphere, is entirely under the influence of life and is determined by living organisms.

If all living organisms are evenly distributed on the surface of the Earth, they form a film 5 mm thick. Despite this, the role of living matter in the history of the Earth is no less than the role of geological processes. The entire mass of living matter that has been on Earth, for example, for 1 billion years, already exceeds the mass of the earth's crust.

The quantitative characteristic of living matter is the total amount biomass. IN AND. Vernadsky, having carried out analyzes and calculations, came to the conclusion that the amount of biomass is from 1000 to 10,000 trillion tons. the surface of the leaves of trees, grass stems and green algae, gives numbers of a completely different order - in different periods of the year it ranges from 0.86 to 4.20% of the surface of the Sun, which explains the large total energy of the biosphere. In recent years, similar calculations using the latest equipment were carried out by a Krasnoyarsk biophysicist I. Gitelzon and confirmed the order of numbers, more than half a century ago, determined by V.I. Vernadsky.

A significant place in the works of V.I. Vernadsky, according to the biosphere, green living matter of plants is assigned, since only it is autotrophic and capable of accumulating the radiant energy of the Sun, forming with its help primary organic compounds.

A significant part of the energy of living matter goes to the formation of new biosphere vadose(unknown outside of it) minerals, and part is buried in the form of organic matter, eventually forming deposits of brown and hard coal, oil shale, oil and gas. “We are dealing here,” wrote V.I. Vernadsky, - with a new process, with a slow penetration into the planet of the radiant energy of the Sun, which reached the surface of the Earth. In this way, living matter changes the biosphere and the earth's crust. It continuously leaves in it a part of the chemical elements that have passed through it, creating huge thicknesses of unknown, in addition to it, vadose minerals or penetrating the inert matter of the biosphere with the finest dust of its remnants.

According to the scientist, the earth's crust is mainly the remains of former biospheres. Even its granite-gneiss layer was formed as a result of metamorphism and remelting of rocks that arose sometime under the influence of living matter. He considered only basalts and other basic igneous rocks to be deep and, in their genesis, not connected with the biosphere.

In the doctrine of the biosphere, the concept of "living matter" is fundamental. Living organisms transform cosmic radiant energy into terrestrial, chemical and create an endless variety of our world. With their breath, nutrition, metabolism, death and decomposition, lasting hundreds of millions of years, continuous change of generations, they give rise to the grandiose planetary process that exists only in the biosphere. — migration of chemical elements.

Living matter, according to the theory of V. I. Vernadsky, is a biogeochemical factor on a planetary scale, under the influence of which both the surrounding abiotic environment and the living organisms themselves are transformed. In the entire space of the biosphere, there is an incessant movement of molecules generated by life. Life has a decisive influence on the distribution, migration and dispersion of chemical elements, determining the fate of nitrogen, potassium, calcium, oxygen, magnesium, strontium, carbon, phosphorus, sulfur and other elements.

The epochs of the development of life: Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic reflect not only the forms of life on Earth, but also its geological record, its planetary fate.

In the doctrine of the biosphere, organic matter, along with the energy of radioactive decay, is considered as a carrier of free energy. A life it is considered not as a mechanical sum of individuals or species, but as a matter of fact - a single process, covering all the substance of the upper layer of the planet.

Living matter has changed throughout all geological epochs and periods. Therefore, as noted by V.I. Vernadsky, modern living matter is genetically related to the living matter of all past geological epochs. At the same time, within the framework of significant geological periods of time, the amount of living matter is not subject to noticeable changes. This pattern was formulated by the scientist as a constant amount of living matter in the biosphere (for a given geological period).

Living matter performs the following biogeochemical functions in the biosphere: gas - absorbs and releases gases; redox - oxidizes, for example, carbohydrates to carbon dioxide and restores it to carbohydrates; concentration - organisms-concentrators accumulate nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon, calcium, magnesium in their bodies and skeletons. As a result of the performance of these functions, the living substance of the biosphere from the mineral base creates natural waters and soils, it created in the past and maintains the atmosphere in a state of equilibrium.

With the participation of living matter, the weathering process takes place, and rocks are included in geochemical processes.

The gas and redox functions of living matter are closely related to the processes of photosynthesis and respiration. As a result of the biosynthesis of organic substances by autotrophic organisms, a huge amount of carbon dioxide was extracted from the ancient atmosphere. As the biomass of green plants increased, the gas composition of the atmosphere changed - the content of carbon dioxide decreased, and the concentration of oxygen increased. All oxygen in the atmosphere is formed as a result of the vital processes of autotrophic organisms. Living matter has qualitatively changed the gas composition of the atmosphere, the geological envelope of the Earth. In turn, oxygen is used by organisms for the process of respiration, as a result of which carbon dioxide is again released into the atmosphere.

Thus, living organisms created in the past and maintain the atmosphere of our planet for millions of years. An increase in the oxygen concentration in the planet's atmosphere affected the rate and intensity of redox reactions in the lithosphere.

Many microorganisms are directly involved in the oxidation of iron, which leads to the formation of sedimentary iron ores, or to the reduction of sulfates with the formation of biogenic sulfur deposits. Despite the fact that the composition of living organisms includes the same chemical elements, the compounds of which form the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere, organisms do not completely repeat the chemical composition of the environment.

Living matter, actively performing the concentration function, selects those chemical elements from the environment and in such quantity that it needs. Due to the implementation of the concentration function, living organisms have created many sedimentary rocks, for example, deposits of chalk and limestone.

In the biosphere, as in every ecosystem, the circulation of chemical elements is constantly carried out. Thus, the living matter of the biosphere, performing geochemical functions, creates and maintains the balance of the biosphere.

Empirical generalizations of V.I. Vernadsky

The first conclusion from the doctrine of the biosphere is the principle of the integrity of the biosphere. The structure of the Earth is a coordinated system. The living world is a single system cemented by many food chains and other interdependencies. If even a small part of it dies, everything else will collapse.

The principle of harmony of the biosphere and its organization. In the biosphere, "everything is taken into account and everything is adjusted with the same precision and with the same subordination to measure and harmony, which we see in the harmonious movements of celestial bodies and begin to see in systems of atoms of matter and atoms of energy."

The role of living things in the evolution of the Earth. The face of the Earth is actually shaped by life. "All the minerals of the upper parts of the earth's crust - free aluminosilicic acids (clays), carbonates (limestones and dolomites), iron and aluminum oxide hydrates (brown iron ore and bauxites), and many hundreds of others - are continuously created in it only under the influence of life."

Cosmic role of the biosphere in the transformation of energy. VI Vernadsky emphasized the importance of energy and called living organisms the mechanisms of energy transformation.

Cosmic energy causes the pressure of life, which is achieved by reproduction. The reproduction of organisms decreases as their number increases. Population sizes increase as long as the environment can withstand their further increase, after which equilibrium is reached. The number fluctuates around the equilibrium level.

The spreading of life is a manifestation of its geochemical energy. Living matter, like a gas, spreads over the earth's surface in accordance with the rule of inertia. Small organisms reproduce much faster than large ones. The rate of transmission of life depends on the density of living matter.

The concept of autotrophy. Autotrophic organisms are called organisms that take all the chemical elements they need for life from the bone matter surrounding them and do not require ready-made compounds of another organism to build their body. The field of existence of these autotrophic green organisms is determined by the area of ​​penetration of sunlight.

Life is entirely determined by the field of sustainability of green vegetation, and the limits of life - by the physicochemical properties of the compounds that build the body, their inviolability in certain environmental conditions. The maximum field of life is determined by the extreme limits of the organism's survival. The upper limit of life is determined by radiant energy, the presence of which excludes life and from which the ozone shield protects. The lower limit is associated with reaching a high temperature.

The biosphere in its main features represents the same chemical apparatus from the most ancient geological periods. Life remained constant during geological time, only its form changed. Living matter itself is not a random creation.

The "ubiquity" of life in the biosphere. Life gradually, slowly adapting, captured the biosphere, and this capture did not end. The field of stability of life is the result of its adaptability in the course of time.

The law of frugality in the use of simple chemical bodies by living matter. Once an element has entered, it goes through a long series of states, and the organism introduces into itself only the required number of elements.

The constancy of the amount of living matter in the biosphere. The amount of free oxygen in the atmosphere is of the same order as the amount of living matter. Living matter is an intermediary between the Sun and the Earth and, therefore, either its quantity must be constant, or its energy characteristics must change.

Any system reaches a stable equilibrium when its free energy equals or approaches zero, i.e. when all the work possible in the conditions of the system has been done.

V. I. Vernadsky formulated the idea of ​​human autotrophy, which has become important in the framework of the discussion of the problem of creating artificial ecosystems in spacecraft. The creation of such artificial ecosystems will be an important stage in the development of ecology. Their construction combines an engineering goal - the creation of a new one - and an environmental focus on preserving the existing, creativity and reasonable conservatism. This will be the implementation of the principle of “designing with nature”.

So far, an artificial ecosystem is a very complex and cumbersome structure. What in nature functions by itself, a person can reproduce only at the cost of great effort. But he will have to do this if he wants to explore space and make long flights. The need to create an artificial ecosystem in spacecraft will help to better understand natural ecosystems.

And the total inconvenient land for agriculture is considered to be about 11.85 * 10 6 square meters. km. Convenient land 9.53 10 6 sq. km. Thus, a large part of our country is outside the boundaries of modern agriculture, or is counted as unsuitable for agriculture * 3) . But this area can be significantly improved and reduced. The plan of state land reclamation works according to L. I. Prasolov* 4) will increase it by approximately 40%. Obviously, this is not the end of possibilities, and there can hardly be any doubt that, if humanity finds it necessary or desirable, it could develop an energy that would capture the entire land area for agriculture, and perhaps even more 29 1).

Section 112 . We still have in China intensive agriculture, which has developed over generations, * 2) which existed in a fairly stationary form in a state of vast area - about 11 million square meters. km - more than 4000 years. Undoubtedly, the area of ​​the state at that time changed, but the developed system and the skill of agriculture were preserved and changed the surrounding life and nature. Only very recently, in our century, this mass of the population is in an unstable movement and the skills of many thousands of years are being destroyed. For China, we can talk about a plant civilization (Goodnow) * 3) . In countless generations, for more than 4 thousand years, remaining in general continuously in place, the population changed the country and in its way of life merged with the surrounding nature. It is likely that most of the agricultural products are obtained here, and yet the population is under the eternal threat of malnutrition * 4) . More than three quarters of the population are farmers. “Most of China is an old country of established agriculture, with soil cultivated so close to the economic limit that large crops are difficult to secure. The Chinese are deeply rooted in the earth... The most characteristic element of the Chinese landscape is not the soil, not the vegetation, not the climate, but the population. Everywhere there are human beings. In this old land, one can hardly find a place that has not been changed by man and his activities. Just as life has been deeply changed by the influence of its surroundings, so it is equally true that man has transformed and changed nature and given it a human imprint. The Chinese landscape is a biophysical totality, the parts of which are as closely related as a tree and the soil in which it grows. Man is so deeply rooted in the earth that a single, all-encompassing, totality is created - not man and nature as separate phenomena, but a single organic whole” 30 . And in spite of such unceasing, indefatigable work of many thousands of years, a little more than 20 per cent of China's area is occupied by agriculture, 31 the rest of the area can be improved for such a large and naturally rich country by state measures that have become possible only with the level of science of our time. Through many thousands of years of work of the population in the space of 3,789,330 km 2, an average of 126.3 people live per square kilometer. This is almost the limit figure for the maximum use of the area of ​​agriculture. This, as Cressy rightly points out, would be something like a culminating formation from an ecological botanical point of view. “Here we have an ancient stabilized civilization that uses the resources of nature to their limits. Until new external forces bring about change, small and internal displacements take place here.”

“The Chinese landscape is as long in time as it is vast in space, and the present is the product of long ages. Probably more human beings lived on the plains of China than anywhere else in a similar space on Earth. Literally trillions* of men and women have contributed to the contours of the hills and valleys and to the arrangement of the fields. The very dust is animated by their legacy.” This 4,000-year-old culture, before it took its stabilized form, had to go through the stages of a more formidable and tragic past, for the past of China's nature went in a completely different environment, among a completely different nature, among humid forests and swamps, to conquer and lead to a cultural the kind that - to destroy the forests and defeat their animal population - needed ten thousand years. Recent discoveries show us that at the same time that in Europe man was experiencing the movements of ice masses, in China a culture was being created under the conditions of the pluvial period**. Obviously, the roots of the irrigation system, thanks to which the agriculture of China exists, are rooted far in history, 20 thousand years and more. Until the end of the XX century. such a biocenosis could exist in a certain balance. But it could only exist because China was to a certain extent isolated, that from time to time the population was thinned out by murders, dying from hunger and starvation, and from floods; irrigation works were weak to cope with the strength of rivers such as the Yellow River. Now all this is quickly fading into the past.

In China, we see the last example of a solitary civilization that has lived for millennia. We see that at the beginning of the 18th century, when Chinese science stood high, he stood at a historical turning point and missed the opportunity to join world science at the right moment. He joined it only in the second half of the 19th century.

Section 113. Agriculture could manifest itself as a geological force and change the surrounding nature only when cattle breeding appeared simultaneously with it, that is, when, simultaneously with the selection and cultivation of the plants he needed for life, a person chose and began to breed the animals he needed. Man unconsciously performed geological work by this, causing greater reproduction of certain types of plant and animal organisms, creating for himself always available concentrated food and providing food for certain types of animals he needed. In pastoralism, he received not only secure food, but increased his muscular strength, which previously allowed him to expand the area occupied by agriculture.