Kinship to Mastery

by Kellert, Stephen R.

• ISBN13: 9781559633727
• ISBN10: 1559633727
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-06-01
• Publisher: Island Pr

Summary

Kinship to Mastery is a fascinating and accessible exploration of the notion of biophilia - the idea that humans, having evolved with the rest of creation, possess a biologically based attraction to nature and exhibit an innate affinity for life and lifelike processes. Stephen R. Kellert sets forth the idea that people exhibit different expressions of biophilia in different contexts, and demonstrates how our quality of life in the largest sense is dependent upon the richness of our connections with nature.

While the natural world provides us with material necessities - food, clothing, medicine, clean air, pure water - it just as importantly plays a key role in other aspects of our lives, including intellectual capacity, emotional bonding, aesthetic attraction, creativity, imagination, and even the recognition of a just and purposeful existence. As Kellert explains, each expression of biophilia shows how our physical, material, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual well-being is to a great extent dependent on our relationships with the natural world that surr

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi	(2)
Prologue	xiii
CHAPTER ONE: The Notion of Biophilia	1	(10)
CHAPTER TWO: The Material Basis	11	(22)
CHAPTER THREE: The Aesthetic Appeal	33	(18)
CHAPTER FOUR: The Measure of Empirical Knowledge	51	(18)
CHAPTER FIVE: Nature As Metaphor	69	(16)
CHAPTER SIX: The Quest for Exploration and Discovery	85	(20)
CHAPTER SEVEN: Yearning for Kinship and Affection	105	(16)
CHAPTER EIGHT: The Urge to Master	121	(12)
CHAPTER NINE: Seeking Meaning and Transcendence	133	(14)
CHAPTER TEN: Of Fear and Loathing	147	(16)
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Diminishing Nature, Self, and Society	163	(28)
CHAPTER TWELVE: The Pursuit of Self-Interest	191	(28)
Notes	219	(30)
Index	249