Planetary Sapience

What is Planetary Sapience?

Sapience involves the ability to think and act with wisdom and discernment, closely related to other forms of intelligence such as learning, problem-solving, and adapting to new situations. However, it is distinguished by its emphasis on wisdom, judgment, and the adept application of knowledge and experience.

In relation to Earth, Planetary Sapience denotes a dynamic, co-evolving state of equilibrium and symbiosis on a global level between Ecogenic Systems and processes (e.g., biosphere, climate, pedosphere, hydrosphere, star-planet system, etc.) and Anthropogenic Systems and dynamics (e.g., worldviews, institutions, technologies, settlements, food systems, energy systems, etc.).

Planetary Sapience emerges when specific milestones of intentional, coordinated transformations are reached, owing to considerable advancements in technology, institutions, and culture. This counteracts unexpected, unintentional, and inadvertent cumulative effects that negatively influence a planet’s habitability.

At its foundation, Planetary Sapience draws on recent advances in astrobiology and Earth system science that recognize intelligence as a planetary-scale process (Frank et al. 2022). This perspective identifies five key properties that distinguish planetary intelligence from individual cognition: it emerges from the interactions of countless agents rather than residing in any single mind; it operates through networks of information flow — from mycorrhizal webs to digital infrastructures; it generates semantic information — knowledge that carries meaning about a planet’s state and future; it constitutes a complex adaptive system capable of learning and self-reorganization; and it exhibits autopoiesis — the capacity of a living planet to continuously regenerate and maintain itself as a coherent whole. Together, these properties describe a form of intelligence that is not merely on the planet, but of it — an emergent property of the entire Earth system.

Planetary Sapience exemplifies both a novel (emerging) and ancient approach to existing within a planetary context. It is innovative in that it encompasses a modern understanding of planetary histories, dynamics, interactions, cycles, and patterns. At the same time, it is ancient due to the vast wealth of knowledge and practices accumulated across diverse cultures and millennia, centered on being responsible ancestors and guardians of the Earth.

Notable manifestations and characteristics of Planetary Sapience include:

• Planetary Intelligence Optimising and harmonising the use of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, to establish a mature technosphere that effectively monitors and safeguards our planetary home and its sentient inhabitants, both biological and artificial. A mature technosphere is one that has achieved organizational closure with the biosphere — where technological systems work in concert with ecological processes rather than against them, and where humanity’s collective metabolism operates within the regenerative capacity of the Earth system (Likavčan & Frank 2025). Building this requires integrating three complementary forms of intelligence (Luers 2021):

  1. Collective Intelligence Harnessing the distributed wisdom of diverse communities and cultures, enabled by digital technologies for discussion, deliberation, and collaboration.
  2. Scientific Intelligence Knowledge derived from biophysical scientists, social scientists, and engineers, providing a foundation for understanding and addressing planetary threats.
  3. Artificial Intelligence Utilising data science, machine learning, and AI tools to extract insights from complex global relationships and tackle systemic sustainability challenges.

• Planetary Stewardship Actively incorporating environmental considerations into cultures, institutions, and technologies across all levels, ranging from local to global, with the aim of protecting and preserving the ecosphere’s foundational elements and promoting planetary health.

• Planetary Foresight Applying prudence, wisdom, and knowledge to inform anticipatory actions, long-term planning, and coordinated civilization development based on established factors and foreseeable uncertainties.

• Safe World Hypothesis If we collectively evolve within planetary boundaries and prioritise the stabilisation of Earth’s systems, then we can bolster global resilience, resulting in a sustainable and secure environment for all.

• Just World Hypothesis If fair and equitable justice systems and redistribution mechanisms are established to address the Great Inequality, then conflicts may be mitigated and a solid socioeconomic foundation can be provided for all members of human societies.

• Thriving World Hypothesis If we encourage people-positivity and nature-positivity, foster civilisational virtues, strengthen global commons governance, and actively work towards conflict prevention, then we can create a world in which all life and the environment can flourish together.

Orbiocentrism

A Planetary Ethic Beyond Duality

Derived from “orbis” (Latin for circle, globe, or world) and “biocentrism” (a philosophical stance emphasising the intrinsic value of all living entities).

Orbiocentrism is a philosophical and ethical perspective that emphasises the intrinsic value of not only all life forms, but also the Earth’s ecosphere as a whole. This includes both living systems and the non-living processes that sustain them. Rooted in a holistic understanding of Earth as an integrated system, orbiocentrism transcends the duality of human exceptionalism and cosmic insignificance. It posits that humanity should recognize and protect the intricate interrelationships of Earth’s cycles, systems, and entities, affirming the planet’s central significance in shaping our collective ethos.

At its core, the philosophy of orbiocentrism is a realization of the intricate, interwoven tapestry of life and environment, living and non-living, in a manner that transcends the historical dichotomy between anthropocentrism and cosmic insignificance. It acknowledges both our unique position and the interconnectedness of our planet within the broader universe.

1. Beyond Dualities

   Historically, Western philosophical thought has oscillated between two extremes. Pre-Copernican exceptionalism posited the West as the center of the universe, suggesting that everything was ordained for our existence. In stark contrast, Copernican nihilism propounded that, given the vast expanse of the cosmos, our existence and endeavours are of negligible significance. Orbiocentrism emerges as a reconciling perspective, acknowledging the singular value of Earth’s ecosphere while situating it within the grand tapestry of the cosmos.

2. Intrinsic Value of the Ecosphere

   Orbiocentrism extends the value accorded to life (as seen in biocentrism) to include the non-living elements of the planet — the atmosphere, the global ocean, water cycles, biogeochemical cycles, and more. The non-living elements are seen not merely as passive backdrops but as active participants in Earth’s grand narrative, influencing and being influenced by the living world. This claim finds a rigorous foundation in the concept of autopoiesis — the ecosphere’s capacity to continuously produce and maintain itself as an organized whole (Frank et al. 2022). The living and non-living components of Earth are not separable systems in parallel but form a single self-organizing entity whose value arises from its very capacity to sustain the conditions for its own existence.

3. Planetary Stewardship

   With this perspective, it becomes an ethical imperative to protect and maintain the Earth’s habitability. Environmental conservation is no longer just about preserving patches of nature or saving specific species. It’s about safeguarding the holistic integrity of the ecosphere—every cycle, system, and motif.

4. Reconceptualising Our Role

   In the orbiocentric view, humans aren’t just passive inhabitants of Earth. We become conscious stewards, with the power and responsibility to shape the planet’s future. This role isn’t derived from a divine mandate or an anthropocentric sense of dominance, but from a deep understanding of our interdependence with the ecosphere.

5. Harmony with Technological Progress

   Orbiocentrism doesn’t mandate a return to pre-industrial times. Instead, it advocates for harmonising technological advancements with ecological wisdom. Technologies, from clean energy solutions to sustainable agriculture, can be embraced if they reinforce the health and balance of the ecosphere. Recent work in planetary science suggests that the ultimate horizon of this harmonisation is profound: successful technospheres do not merely coexist with their biospheres — they fold back into them (Likavčan 2024). In this view, the hallmark of a truly mature technology is that it becomes indistinguishable from the natural processes it once disrupted. The goal is not to constrain technology, but to guide it toward reintegration with the living Earth.

6. A Cosmic Perspective

   By valuing our ecosphere, we extend our reverence to the potential sanctity of other habitable or life-bearing realms in the cosmos. This cosmic appreciation, enriched by insights from comparative planetology, guides our ventures into space exploration and our quest to unravel the mysteries of the universe. Intriguingly, the apparent silence of the cosmos — the Fermi Paradox — may itself be evidence for the centrality of sapience. If exponential, extractive growth is inherently unsustainable at planetary scale, then civilizations that fail to develop planetary sapience may simply not endure long enough to be observed (Likavčan 2024; Haqq-Misra & Baum 2009). The transition to sapience may be the decisive threshold — a Great Filter — that separates civilizations that flourish from those that do not.

7. Reimagining Economics and Governance

   An orbiocentric ethic could reshape global systems, pushing economies to prioritize sustainability, circularity, and regeneration. Governance structures might evolve to prioritize the health and well-being of the entire ecosphere, transcending nationalistic boundaries. A key insight from recent planetary science is that economic systems are not abstract structures operating independently of the biosphere — they are forms of planetary metabolism, processing energy and materials in ways that are subject to the same thermodynamic and ecological constraints as any living system (Likavčan & Frank 2025; Georgescu-Roegen 1971). An orbiocentric economics would therefore treat the economy as embedded within and dependent upon the Earth’s metabolic flows, rather than treating nature as an “externality” to be priced.

8. Beyond Sustainability: Toward Genesity

   Orbiocentrism ultimately reaches beyond the concept of sustainability itself. The conventional sustainability paradigm, while essential, remains fundamentally anthropocentric — it asks how human societies can persist. A broader horizon is habitability: the conditions that allow Earth-like life to exist on a planetary scale. But the most expansive horizon is what Likavčan (2024) calls genesity — the capacity of a planet to give rise to life in all its possible forms, including forms we have not yet imagined. Where sustainability asks “how do we endure?”, and habitability asks “how does life endure?”, genesity asks “how does a planet remain generative?” Orbiocentrism, in its fullest expression, aligns with this most universal horizon: valuing the Earth not only for the life it sustains today, but for its ongoing capacity to generate new forms of existence.

The High Seas Treaty

As human activities continue to place unprecedented pressure on Earth’s ecosystems, the concept of Planetary Stewardship has gained momentum in recent years. This approach emphasizes humanity’s collective responsibility to safeguard the planet’s life-support systems, maintain its ecological integrity, and promote long-term sustainability. In this context, the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (or UN High Seas Treaty, for short) represents a crucial step toward establishing Planetary Sapience – the capacity for wise, informed, and collective decision-making for the well-being of Earth and its inhabitants.

The UN High Seas Treaty aims to protect and conserve the biodiversity of the high seas, which make up approximately two-thirds of the world’s oceans. By establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) and a legal framework for the sustainable use of marine resources, the treaty seeks to ensure that at least 30% of the world’s oceans are protected by 2030.

Planetary Stewardship is inherently linked to the health of our oceans, which play a vital role in regulating Earth’s climate, providing food and resources, and supporting countless ecosystems. By working to preserve and restore these critical areas, the UN High Seas Treaty demonstrates a commitment to the holistic management of our planet. This is an essential component of planetary sapience, as it reflects an understanding of the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems and the need for comprehensive solutions.

UN’s Our Common Agenda

Established in 1945 following the collapse of the League of Nations, which was unable to prevent World War II, the United Nations now finds itself at a critical juncture. Amid a convergence of crises, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and growing inequality, as well as other multifaceted challenges (collectively known as polycrisis), international organisations are grappling with their own existential threats as they strive to facilitate dialogue and coordinate efforts to avert catastrophic events such as wars, pandemics, and other human-induced or natural disasters.

Nevertheless, the United Nations demonstrates a sense of planetary sapience, particularly in their landmark 2022 report, Our Common Agenda. We wholeheartedly embrace this initiative, which serves as a revitalizing force amid our collective efforts to navigate the murky waters of relentless news cycles, misinformation, and pervasive pessimism. This fresh perspective offers a much-needed beacon of hope and clarity as we confront the challenges that lie ahead.

By championing proactive approaches to address Existential Risks and advocating for the representation of future generations (aka intergenerational equity), the UN demonstrates an unmistakable commitment to wisdom, foresight, and comprehensive thinking.

The report puts forth several noteworthy recommendations, including:

• Futures Lab An organisation designed to assist states, subnational authorities, and other entities in building capacity, promoting adaptability, and sharing best practices to foster long-term planning (aka longtermism) and forward-thinking.
• Committees for the Future or Future Generations Commissioners These groups would advise governments and public organizations on the potential impact of present decisions on future generations, similar to the concept presented in Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future.
• Special Envoy for Future Generations A representative responsible for safeguarding the interests of those expected to be born within the next century.
• Declaration on Future Generations A document outlining responsibilities towards future generations, with a mechanism for sharing best practices and monitoring how governance systems address long-term challenges. Read this policy brief by Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government: Toward a Declaration on Future Generations
• Strategic Foresight and Global Risk Report A publication that collects and analyzes data to assess risks across short-, medium-, and long-term timeframes. This report would be published every five years, ensuring regular updates on the evolving global risk landscape.
• Emergency Platform for Addressing Complex Global Crises A temporary structure that would be activated automatically in response to large-scale crises, regardless of the nature of the crisis. This platform would convene leaders from member states, UN agencies, international financial institutions, regional organizations, civil society, the private sector, specialized industries, research bodies, and other experts.
• Summit for the Future Held on 22–23 September 2024 at UN headquarters in New York, the Summit for the Future was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen collaboration on crucial issues and address deficiencies in global governance while reaffirming commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Charter. World leaders adopted the Pact for the Future — the most comprehensive multilateral agreement in decades — along with two annexed documents: the Global Digital Compact (the first global framework for digital cooperation and AI governance) and the first-ever Declaration on Future Generations. The Pact formulates 56 commitments spanning sustainable development, international peace and security, digital cooperation, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance.

In the Declaration on the Commemoration of the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the United Nations, Heads of State and Government, guided by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and the goal to ensure the future we want, and the United Nations we need, announced the following commitments:

We will leave no one behind We will protect our planet We will promote peace and prevent conflict We will abide by international law and ensure justice We will place women and girls at the center We will build trust We will improve digital cooperation We will upgrade the United Nations We will ensure sustainable financing We will boost partnerships We will listen to and work with youth We will be prepared

Source: https://www.un.org/en/common-agenda

Planetary Evolution

The story of Earth is a remarkable tale of transformation, shaped by dynamic geological processes and the emergence of life. Over billions of years, our planet has evolved through distinct stages, each marked by critical developments that have shaped the world we know today.

In this introduction, we will explore the five stages of planetary evolution: Primal Earth, Living Earth, Solar Earth, Complex Earth, and Wise Earth. These stages provide a framework to understand the key milestones in Earth’s history, as well as its potential future, as we strive towards a harmonious, sustainable relationship with our planet and its diverse inhabitants.

1. Primal Earth: This stage refers to the period of Earth’s history before the emergence of life, when the planet was a barren, lifeless rock. This stage lasted for billions of years and was characterized by intense geological activity, including the formation of the continents and the evolution of the atmosphere.

2. Living Earth: This stage began around 3.5 billion years ago with the emergence of the first living organisms, likely in the form of simple, single-celled microorganisms. Over time, these organisms evolved and diversified, eventually giving rise to more complex life forms and the explosion of biodiversity that we see today.

3. Solar Earth: This stage began with the invention of photosynthesis, a process that allowed some organisms to harness the energy of the sun and use it to fuel their growth and metabolism. This development transformed the planet, leading to the accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere and the creation of new ecological niches for life to thrive.

4. Complex Earth: This stage refers to the emergence of complex life forms, including animals with nervous systems capable of sensing and responding to their environments. This development led to the evolution of intelligence and the formation of societies and cultures, as well as the emergence of technologies that transformed the planet and human society.

5. Wise Earth: This stage represents the future potential of Earth, in which humanity and other intelligent life forms on the planet have developed a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of all life and have developed sustainable, harmonious relationships with each other and with the planet. This stage represents a future in which planetary sapience, or a collective intelligence and wisdom, guides the evolution of life on Earth towards a more flourishing and resilient future.

A Complementary Framework

These five stages offer a narrative lens on planetary evolution. A complementary, more formal framework is proposed by Frank et al. (2022), who describe four domains of planetary life: an Immature Biosphere (early microbial life with limited planetary feedback), a Mature Biosphere (a fully developed biosphere that actively regulates planetary conditions — the Gaian Earth), an Immature Technosphere (a technological civilization that consumes planetary resources without self-awareness of its effects — our current predicament), and a Mature Technosphere (a technosphere that has achieved organizational closure with the biosphere, operating in regenerative equilibrium).

Both frameworks converge on the same critical insight: that the decisive transition of our era is from an immature to a mature technosphere — from inadvertent planetary transformation to intentional planetary stewardship. It is this transition that defines the threshold of Planetary Sapience.

Janković, Katić, and Ćirović (2022) push this vision further still, exploring the theoretical possibility of extreme Gaian integration — a biosphere so deeply self-organized that it functions as a single cognitive entity, what they call, following Stanisław Lem, a “Solaris.” While speculative, the concept of “Gaia-space” — the parameter space of possible biosphere configurations along axes of strong/weak and accidental/convergent integration — offers a provocative map of where planetary evolution could lead.

Resonances:

Following Frank et al. (2022), planetary sapience may refer to a ‘Mature Technosphere’ as a future phase of planetary intelligence — one defined by autopoiesis, network-based information flow, and organizational closure with the biosphere.

Following Grinspoon (2016), planetary sapience may refer to a ‘Planetary Change of the Fourth Kind’ and the rise of ‘Terra Sapiens’.

Following Likavčan (2024), planetary sapience may be what allows a civilization to pass through the sustainability bottleneck implied by the Fermi Paradox — the transition from exponential growth to regenerative integration with the biosphere.

Following Likavčan & Frank (2025), planetary sapience aligns with the emergence of the Planetary as a new scientific cosmology — grounded in astrobiology and Earth system science — that reframes political economy, governance, and ethics in metabolic and planetary terms.

Following Ord (2020), planetary sapience may refer to a state of existential security, passed ‘The Precipice’ and onto the ‘Long Reflection’ to achieve the immense potential of consciousness.

Following Drake (1961), planetary sapience may refer to the end of a dangerous phase of technological adolescence (L = lifetime of a planetary civilisation), overcoming existential threats and expanding into the cosmos.

References:

• Frank, A., Grinspoon, D. & Walker, S. 2022. Intelligence as a planetary scale process. International Journal of Astrobiology, 21(2), 47–61. https://doi.org/10.1017/S147355042100029X
• Luers, A.L. 2021. Planetary intelligence for sustainability in the digital age: Five priorities. One Earth, 4(6), 772–775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.06.001
• Likavčan, L. 2024. The Grass of the Universe: Rethinking technosphere, planetary history, and sustainability via the Fermi Paradox. Submitted to Environmental Humanities.
• Likavčan, L. & Frank, A. 2025. The Planetary And Its Uses: Grounding political economy in astrobiological perspective. Submitted to The Anthropocene Review.
• Janković, S., Katić, A. & Ćirović, M. 2022. Gaia as Solaris: An alternative default evolutionary trajectory. Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, 52, 129–147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11084-022-09625-w
• Haqq-Misra, J.D. & Baum, S.D. 2009. The Sustainability Solution to the Fermi Paradox. Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, 62, 195–202.
• Georgescu-Roegen, N. 1971. The Entropy Law and the Economic Process. Harvard University Press.
• Obura et al. 2022. Achieving a nature- and people-positive future. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2022.11.013
• Leach et al. 2018. Equity and sustainability in the Anthropocene: a social-ecological systems perspective on their intertwined futures. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2018.12
• Rammelt et al. 2022. Impacts of meeting minimum access on critical earth systems amidst the Great Inequality. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00995-5
• Earth4All, 2022. https://www.earth4all.life/publications
• Grinspoon, D. 2016. Earth in Human Hands. https://radioideaxme.com/earth-in-human-hands-chapter-five/
• Drake, F. 1961. The Drake Equation. https://www.seti.org/drake-equation-index
• Ord, T. 2020. The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity. Bloomsbury Publishing.