# James Lovelock was a visionary whose greatest ideas were made possible by his unshakeable independence  ## About - Author: Roger Highfield - Title: James Lovelock was a visionary whose greatest ideas were made possible by his unshakeable independence - Tags: #articles #essays - URL: https://aeon.co/essays/james-lovelock-the-death-of-scientific-independence ## Highlights Driven by his scepticism about conventional wisdom, enabled by his skill as an inventor, and guided by visceral scientific insights, Lovelock made much of his independence. When asked about ‘thinking outside the box’ at a meeting in the University of Exeter to celebrate his centenary, he replied: ‘What box?’ --- As any artist or novelist would understand – some of us do not produce their best when directed,’ he wrote in his autobiography *Homage to Gaia* (2000). ---