The Biophilia Hypothesis

by Kellert, Stephen R.; Wilson, Edward O.

• ISBN13: 9781559631488
• ISBN10: 1559631481
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-11-01
• Publisher: Island Pr

Summary

"Biophilia" is the term coined by Edward O. Wilson to describe what he believes is humanity's innate affinity for the natural world. In his landmark book Biophilia, he examined how our tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes might be a biologically based need, integral to our development as individuals and as a species. That idea has caught the imagination of diverse thinkers.The Biophilia Hypothesisbrings together the views of some of the most creative scientists of our time, each attempting to amplify and refine the concept of biophilia. The variety of perspectives -- psychological, biological, cultural, symbolic, and aesthetic -- frame the theoretical issues by presenting empirical evidence that supports or refutes the hypothesis. Numerous examples illustrate the idea that biophilia and its converse, biophobia, have a genetic component: fear, and even full-blown phobias of snakes and spiders are quick to develop with very little negative reinforcement, while more threatening modern artifacts -- knives, guns, automobiles -- rarely elicit such a response people find trees that are climbable and have a broad, umbrella-like canopy more attractive than trees without these characteristics people would rather look at water, green vegetation, or flowers than built structures of glass and concrete The biophilia hypothesis, if substantiated, provides a powerful argument for the conservation of biological diversity. More important, it implies serious consequences for our well-being as society becomes further estranged from the natural world. Relentless environmental destruction could have a significant impact on our quality of life, not just materially but psychologically and even spiritually.

Table of Contents

Prelude: "A Siamese Connexion with a Plurality of Other Mortals"	p. 3
Introduction	p. 20
Clarifying the Concept
Biophilia and the Conservation Ethic	p. 31
The Biological Basis for Human Values of Nature	p. 42
Affect and Aesthetics
Biophilia, Biophobia, and Natural Landscapes	p. 73
Humans, Habitats, and Aesthetics	p. 138
Dialogue with Animals: Its Nature and Culture	p. 173
Culture
Searching for the Lost Arrow: Physical and Spiritual Ecology in the Hunter's World	p. 201
The Loss of Floral and Faunal Story: The Extinction of Experience	p. 229
New Guineans and Their Natural World	p. 251
Symbolism
On Animal Friends	p. 275
The Sacred Bee, the Filthy Pig, and the Bat Out of Hell: Animal Symbolism as Cognitive Biophilia	p. 301
Evolution
God, Gaia, and Biophilia	p. 345
Of Life and Artifacts	p. 365
Ethics and Political Action
Biophilia, Selfish Genes, Shared Values	p. 381
Love It or Lose It: The Coming Biophilia Revolution	p. 415
Biophilia: Unanswered Questions	p. 441
Coda	p. 456
About the Contributors	p. 459
Index	p. 465
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.