Do you think all humans are born with biophilia?

Question

(Biophilia = the innate human love of nature) Or is this affinity something that can only be developed through experience?

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This is the 4th in a series of 30 questions on Nature and the Environment which I'll ask in the following sections: Religion & Spirituality and Philosophy (for the first few questions only), Society & Culture, Environment, and Politics & Government. I will post them in the US, UK, Singapore and India Y!A sites.

Here are links to the first 3:

1. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AliEyooP1qc5Wpay4sLer3nty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080214064914AAwlhTE

2. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AokNKWkC4W4sWST.OCy7XKjty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080214150756AAPzAmY

3. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Askz86tKZJf_uGt.TvLSqHLty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080215073509AAujVHd

This is not for homework, poll or survey purposes. The topics are ones that interest me specifically and are strictly for my own curiosity about the world.

Answer 1

maybe

Answer 2

no i do not think so.

Answer 3

i think so, but it's been lost or forgotten a very long time ago. before our cultural history (10,000 years ago) we lived in tribes and were closely knitted to each other and with the environment.  we were very aware that nature was our source and that everything was somehow interconnected. we respected nature and, yes, loved her. with the rise of agriculture in our particular culture we discovered that WE could grow food and shape our environment. over time this brought about a fundamental paradigm shift in how we viewed nature and the world became viewed as a gift to man from God and was something to conquer. after our vast and unconscionable exploitation of nature we now find ourselves on a precipice. we need to rediscover our biophilia on a grand scale.

i've been doing a lot of reading about this and i think you would find these sources rather interesting.

check out "Ishmael" and "the story of b" by daniel quinn

and these links to talks given by terrence mckenna.

http://deoxy.org/t_camden.htm

http://www.abrupt.org/LOGOS/tm980728.htm...

http://www.abrupt.org/LOGOS/tm970423.htm...

http://www.abrupt.org/LOGOS/tm970423.htm...

http://www.levity.com/eschaton/talks/062...

- i hope psychedelics don't freak you out. his perspective on our culture is hugely interesting and definitely worthwhile to read.

cheers,

jstar

Answer 4

no....

Answer 5

No.

I remember my cousin who at age 3 was taken out of the house for the first time and place on the grass in a park, the poor child nearly went catatonic trying to jump off the grass.

You can't love what you don't know.

Loving nature is far from living it, struggling with it, fighting against it,  and so on.  To love nature you have to appreciate the beauty around you.  Then be able to fit in and know your place in nature.

We are not at the top of the food chain and without groups with tools (weapons) we have success only when we can run and hide successfully.  No we not only do have an innate love of nature we barely love each other.