Kinship to mastery: biophilia in human evolution and development

Abstract

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 also 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 upon our relationships with the natural world that surrounds us. Kellert argues that because the full expression of biophilia is integral to our overall health, the ongoing degradation of the environment could have far more serious consequences than many people realize.