The Gaia theory of James Lovelock proposes that the Earth is a self‐regulating system, or super‐organism, maintaining conditions hospitable to contemporary planetary biota. Objections to this theory, concerning its alleged untestability and circularity, are considered and countered. Favourable evidence includes Lovelock's Daisyworld model of a planet regulating its own temperatures and thus maintaining homeostasis, and his discoveries of actual regulatory mechanisms such as the biological generation of dimethyl sulphide, which removes sulfur from the oceans and seeds clouds whose albedo reduces solar radiation (a negative feedback mechanism). After some decades of scepticism, sections of the scientific community have partially endorsed Gaia theory, accepting that the Earth system behaves as if self‐regulating. Whether or not this theory is acceptable in full, it has drawn attention to the need for preserving planetary biological cycles and for the planetary dimension to be incorporated in ethical decision‐making, and thus for a planetary ethic. Key Concepts James Lovelock hypothesises that the planetary physical and biological system is a self‐regulating super‐organism. There were precedents before Lovelock for ascribing life either to the planet or to the universe. James W. Kirchner presents Gaia hypotheses as either unoriginal or untestable. Lovelock demonstrates that Gaia theory is both original and testable, albeit indirectly. Lovelock's theory can readily escape the charge of circularity. Predictions of Gaia theory include the existence of biologically generated mechanisms of planetary regulation. Lovelock's discovery of dimethyl sulphide discloses such a mechanism for the regulation of oceanic sulfur. Both atmospheric oxygen and atmospheric nitrogen turn out to be biologically generated and maintained. Philosophers such as Stephen Clark and Mary Midgley have made Gaia a symbol for the planetary thinking currently needed. The Amsterdam Declaration of planetary scientists (Moore et al ., 2001) accepted aspects of Gaia theory, without explicitly accepting the theory's planetary goal.

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Principles of equality are examined in the context of managing equality and diversity in practice. Our case study is the Cardiff Steiner School, an independent international school located in Wales, UK with educational values guided by the philosophers and educationalists Rudolf Steiner and Millicent Mackenzie. The sustainable management referred to and assessed in this chapter is the School's management structure and the related School pedagogical operation, with the founding Steiner value of human justice informing these. We argue that at this School the management of equality and diversity reflects theories of Diversity and Equality Management, with School managers aspiring to encourage respect for all. We appraise the philosophical and spiritual values of the founders in relation to equality and diversity, in order to demonstrate the visionary ideals of these philosophers and the extent to which their beliefs live on sustainably in contemporary society, and particularly in a Steiner education community.

The further and higher educational experiences and consequent employability of women with the under-researched Triple X syndrome are arguably unknown. This research study examines their special educational needs (where relevant), and their negotiation of conventional educative systems, throughout the stages of post-compulsory education and into the world of work. The prevalent individualist societal focus means that education bodies promote their qualification offers for students to gain individual employability currency, in order to secure their own futures. Ten women with Triple X were asked to reflect on their post-compulsory education experiences, considering their varying developmental and cultural barriers to access, and their employability skill set against the background of the likelihood of their transferring this to a position of graduate employment. Findings illustrate the significance of socio-economic background and support network, as well as varying individual cognitive capacity and also health status in participants being able to varying degrees, to secure a sense of stability and contentment: yet no woman secured graduate employment. By way of a further conclusion this research discloses the systemic lack of awareness of the existence of Triple X on the part of educational bodies and employers, a problem which further research is needed to address.

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