# Humans Are the Nervous System of Earth by James Lovelock > “We are not merely a disease; we are, through our intelligence and communication, the nervous system of the planet.” > **— James Lovelock**, *“The Earth Is About to Catch a Morbid Fever,” The Independent, January 16, 2006* ## Sources and Context - **Original or near-original source and full passage:** [“The Earth Is About to Catch a Morbid Fever,” The Independent, January 16, 2006](https://www.jameslovelock.org/the-earth-is-about-to-catch-a-morbid-fever-that-may-last-as-long-as-100000-years/) — Lovelock uses Gaia metaphors to hold human ecological harm and reflective intelligence together; this is not a literal medical diagnosis. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Article:** [[articles/Climate Systems as Human Resilience Platforms|Climate Systems as Human Resilience Platforms]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/James Lovelock|James Lovelock]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “We are not merely a disease; we are, through our intelligence and communication, the nervous system of the planet.” — James Lovelock, “The Earth Is About to Catch a Morbid Fever,” The Independent, January 16, 2006 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-james-lovelock-nervous-system-earth ```