"We have seen that co-operation is the primary Gaian inter-relationship. But natural systems can only co-operate for the purpose of acheiving a common goal. If they did not have a common goal, they could not co-operate; the very term would be meaningless. Natural systems, as differentiated parts of the Gaian hierarchy, share the common goal of maintaining its critical order or stability, for only in this way can they maintain their own critical order and hence their own stability." - Goldsmith
