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Biophilia hypothesis

The biophilia hypothesis also called BET


suggests that humans possess an innate
tendency to seek connections with nature
and other forms of life.[1] Edward O. Wilson
introduced and popularized the hypothesis
in his book, Biophilia (1984).[2] He defines
biophilia as "the urge to affiliate with other
forms of life".[3]
Love of living systems
The term "biophilia" means "love of life or
living systems." It was first used by Erich
Fromm to describe a psychological
orientation of being attracted to all that is
alive and vital.[4] Wilson uses the term in
the same sense when he suggests that
biophilia describes "the connections that
human beings subconsciously seek with
the rest of life." He proposed the possibility
that the deep affiliations humans have
with other life forms and nature as a whole
are rooted in our biology. Unlike phobias,
which are the aversions and fears that
people have of things in their environment,
philias are the attractions and positive
feelings that people have toward
organisms, species, habitats, processes
and objects in their natural surroundings.
Although named by Fromm, the concept of
biophilia has been proposed and defined
many times over. Aristotle was one of
many to put forward a concept that could
be summarized as "love of life". Diving into
the term philia, or friendship, Aristotle
evokes the idea of reciprocity and how
friendships are beneficial to both parties in
more than just one way, but especially in
the way of happiness.[5]
In the book Children and Nature:
Psychological, Sociocultural, and
Evolutionary Investigations edited by Peter
Kahn and Stephen Kellert,[6] the
importance of animals, especially those
with which a child can develop a nurturing
relationship, is emphasized particularly for
early and middle childhood. Chapter 7 of
the same book reports on the help that
animals can provide to children with
autistic-spectrum disorders.[7]

Product of biological
evolution
Human preferences toward things in
nature, while refined through experience
and culture, are hypothetically the product
of biological evolution. For example, adult
mammals (especially humans) are
generally attracted to baby mammal faces
and find them appealing across species.
The large eyes and small features of any
young mammal face are far more
appealing than those of the mature adults.

Similarly, the hypothesis helps explain why


ordinary people care for and sometimes
risk their lives to save domestic and wild
animals, and keep plants and flowers in
and around their homes. In other words,
our natural love for life helps sustain life.

Very often, flowers also indicate potential


for food later. Most fruits start their
development as flowers. For our
ancestors, it was crucial to spot, detect
and remember the plants that would later
provide nutrition.

Biophilia and conservation


Because of our technological
advancements and more time spent inside
buildings and cars, it is argued that the
lack of biophilic activities and time spent
in nature may be strengthening the
disconnect of humans from nature.
Although, it also has shown strong urges
among people to reconnect with nature.
The concern for a lack of connection with
the rest of nature outside of us, is that a
stronger disregard for other plants,
animals and less appealing wild areas
could lead to further ecosystem
degradation and species loss. Therefore,
reestablishing a connection with nature
has become more important in the field of
conservation.[8] Examples would be more
available green spaces in and around
cities, more classes that revolve around
nature and implementing smart design for
greener cities that integrate ecosystems
into them such as biophilic cities. These
cities can also become part of wildlife
corridors to help with migrational and
territorial needs of other animals.[9]

Development
The hypothesis has since been developed
as part of theories of evolutionary
psychology in the book The Biophilia
Hypothesis edited by Stephen R. Kellert
and Edward O. Wilson[10] and by Lynn
Margulis. Also, Stephen Kellert's work
seeks to determine common human
responses to perceptions of, and ideas
about, plants and animals, and to explain
them in terms of the conditions of human
evolution.

Biophilic design
Main Article: Biophilic Design

In architecture, biophilic design is a


sustainable design strategy that
incorporates reconnecting people with the
natural environment. It may be seen as a
necessary complement to green
architecture, which decreases the
environmental impact of the built world
but does not address human reconnection
with the natural world.[11] Caperna and
Serafini[12] define biophilic design as that
kind of architecture, which is able to
supply our inborn need of connection to
life and to the vital processes. According
to Caperna and Serafini,[13] Biophilic
architecture is characterized by the
following elements: i) the naturalistic
dimension; (ii) the Wholeness [14] of the
site, that is, "the basic structure of the
place"; (iii) the "geometric coherency", that
is, the physical space must have such a
geometrical configuration able to exalt the
connections human dimension and built
and natural environments. Similarly,
biophilic space has been defined as the
environment that strengthens life and
supports the sociological and
psychological components,[15][16] or, in
other words, it is able to:[17] (i) unburden
our cognitive system, supporting it in
collecting and recognizing more
information in the quickest and most
efficient way; (ii) foster the optimum of our
sensorial system in terms of neuro-
motorial influence, avoiding both the
depressive and the exciting effects; (iii)
induce a strengthening in emotive and
biological terms at a neural level; (iv)
support, according to the many clinical
evidences, the neuro-endocryne and
immunological system, especially for
those people who are in bad physical
condition.
Having a window looking out to plants is
also claimed to help speed up the healing
process of patients in hospitals.[18]
Similarly, having plants in the same room
as patients in hospitals also speeds up
their healing process.[19]

Biophilia in fiction
Canadian author Hilary Scharper explicitly
adapted E.O. Wilson's concept of biophilia
for her ecogothic novel, Perdita.[20] In the
novel, Perdita (meaning "the lost one") is a
mythological figure who brings biophilia to
humanity.
See also
Biocultural evolution
Biomimetics
Deep ecology
Ecopsychology
Environmental psychology
Healthy building
Permaculture
Biophilia (Björk album)

References
1. "biophilia hypothesis." Encyclopædia
Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica
Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago:
Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014.
2. Wilson, Edward O. (1984). Biophilia .
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
ISBN 0-674-07442-4.
3. Kellert & Wilson 1995, p. 416.
4. Fromm, Erich (1964). The Heart of
Man. Harper & Row.
5. SANTAS, ARISTOTELIS. "Aristotelian
Ethics And Biophilia." Ethics & The
Environment 19.1 (2014): 95-121.
GreenFILE. Web. 24 Feb. 2015
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pd
fviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2ed69cd6-
0f3e-47aa-b03a-
a284b3619652%40sessionmgr113&vi
d=4&hid=116
6. Kahn, Peter; Kellert, Stephen (2002).
Children and nature: psychological,
sociocultural, and evolutionary
investigations . MIT Press. p. 153.
ISBN 0-262-11267-1.
7. Katcher, Aaron (2002). "Animals in
Therapeutic Education: Guides into the
Liminal State". In Kahn, Peter H.;
Kellert, Stephen R (eds.). Children and
Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural,
and Evolutionary Investigations . MIT
Press. ISBN 0-262-11267-1. Retrieved
January 30, 2013.
8. Rogers, Kara. "Biophilia Hypothesis" .
Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Retrieved 10 Feb 2015.
9. "Biophilic Cities" . Biophilic Cities.
Retrieved 10 Mar 2015.
10. Kellert, Stephen R. (ed.) (1993). The
Biophilia Hypothesis. Island Press.
ISBN 1-55963-147-3.
11. "Biophilic Design: The Architecture of
Life" . www.stephenrkellert.net.
Archived from the original on 6 March
2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
12. Caperna A., Serafini S. (2015).
Biourbanism as new epistemological
perspective between Science, Design
and Nature . In Architecture &
Sustainability: Critical Perspectives.
"Generating sustainability concepts
from an architectural perspective", KU
Leuven - Faculty of Engineering,
Belgium). ISBN 9789462920880
13. Caperna A., Giangrande A., Mirabelli P.,
Mortola E., (2013). Partecipazione e
ICT. Gangemi Editore [1]
ISBN 9788849225365
14. C. Alexander, The Nature of Order: An
Essay on the Art of Building and the
Nature of the Universe, Center for
Environmental Structure, 2002
15. Serafini, S. (2009). Totalitarismo del
brutto. No alle archistar. In
Bioarchitettura, 59 (Ottobre), pp. 4-11.
16. Caperna, A., Tracada, E. (2012).
Biourbanism for a Healthy City.
Biophilia and sustainable urban
theories and practices . Bannari
Amman Institute of Technology (BIT),
Sathyamangalam, India, 3–5
September 2012
17. Caperna A., Serafini S. (2015).
Biourbanism as new epistemological
perspective between Science, Design
and Nature . In Architecture &
Sustainability: Critical Perspectives.
"Generating sustainability concepts
from an architectural perspective", KU
Leuven - Faculty of Engineering,
Belgium). ISBN 9789462920880
18. Windows looking out to plants helping
the healing process
19. Park, SH; Mattson, RH (2009).
"Ornamental indoor plants in hospital
rooms enhanced health outcomes of
patients recovering from surgery". J
Altern Complement Med. 15: 975–80.
doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0075 .
PMID 19715461 .
20. "Arousing Biophilia" .
arts.envirolink.org. Archived from the
original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved
2015-11-03.

External links

Wikiversity has learning resources


about Human-animal bond

Edward O. Wilson's Biophilia


Hypothesis
Biophilia, biomimicry, and sustainable
design
The Economics of Biophilia - Terrapin
Bright Green
Biophilia , website for Biophilia
magazine
"Biophilic Design Patterns: Emerging
Nature-Based Parameters for Health
and Well-Being in the Built
Environment" by Catherine O. Ryan,
William D Browning, Joseph O Clancy,
Scott L Andrews, Namita B Kallianpurkar
(ArchNet-International Journal of
Architectural Research)
14 Patterns of Biophilic Design -
Terrapin Bright Green
"Biophilia: Does Visual Contact with
Nature Impact on Health and Well-
Being?" - National Center for
Biotechnology Information
"Biophilic Architecture and Biophilic
Design" by Antonio Caperna,
International Society of Biourbanism
"Biourbanism for a healthy city: biophilia
and sustainable urban theories and
practices" by Antonio Caperna and
Eleni Tracada, University of Derby (UK) -
UDORA Repository
"Introduction to Biophilic Biophilic
Design" by Antonio Caperna,
International Society of Biourbanism
"Biophilic Design" , Journal of
Biourbanism Volume VI (1&2/2017) by
Antonio Caperna Editor in Chief,
International Society of Biourbanism
Retrieved from
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title=Biophilia_hypothesis&oldid=916600549"

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