Revisioning Cognitive Science Through Holistic Science, Biophilia, and Indigenous Ways of Knowing

Abstract

Multiple bodies of work converge around the claim that connection to nature is necessary for our psychological health. This article considers four: the holistic science movement, biophilia research, work on Indigenous ways of knowing, and research on embodied cognition. My larger purpose in weaving these threads together is to suggest that the cognitive sciences need a new understanding of the human mind, or to return to an older one. The cognitive sciences must remember that the mind is fundamentally connected to the planet on which it evolved. This shift is urgent in a time of catastrophic ecological destruction and in the face of powerful pressures to mesh the mind with technology, despite potentially devastating consequences of ignoring ethical and environmental concerns. This article offers some concrete ways that we might move forward with this shift.