Russell (The Global Brain) evoke wonder, possibility and yes, hope.

Not to get into any details about what kind of organism the earth is, but let us just say it is a "cosmic" organism...
I'm sure you know the story of the three blind men trying to describe an elephant with each touching a different part and the flea, wondering, "if this thing could be alive?"

You really answered yourself earlier when you mentioned the truism: "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

We can't know... unless we try to know... but we certainly won't know if we never look.