A common assumption of the modern world is that we live in a universe comprised almost entirely of inert matter and empty space. Regarding the universe as dead at its foundations is basic to the industrial revolution: It makes sense to exploit what appears dead for the benefit of what seems most alive—ourselves. This assumption is now being questioned as a more ancient view is reconsidered. Plato put it this way: “The universe is a single living creature that encompasses all living creatures within it.”