Preface by Grant:  Last weekend I saw the movie Avatar.  Not a fan of high-tech graphic sci-fi type movies, I was reluctant to go, although agreed because of the rave reviews.  I was struck by the organic similarities between Avatar and "biophilia"  -- also very similar to Dances with Wolves where Kevin Costner learns the Lakota tribe's language, lifestyle and customs.  I anticipate that most readers will scan this posting and then handily reject it as just "too academic" and lacking professional applicability.   It is more conceptual than the typical meal that is fed to you as a sustainability professional, however, it addresses what may be a much more important issue - at what level humankind will accept sustainability?  At what level will we naturally accept our relationship to nature and the physical world?   Give it a try and let me know what you think.  COMING SOON - surprising news on the tremendous growth of MIGP (Member) and FIGP (Fellow) designated sustainability professionals at the Institute of Green Professionals! 

 Discussion of "Biophilia"

by A. Vernon Woodworth, AIA, LEED AP

The human being is a complex organism with a discriminating consciousness capable of abstract thought, language, and a high degree of technical manipulation of our physical surroundings.  These abilities, along with limitless ambition and imagination, have led to a condition of alienation from our instincts and environment.  Our science, technologies, political systems, belief systems, and patterns of consumption have all evolved to reinforce a duality between self and object, figure and ground, man and nature.  Despite unprecedented material resources and technical ability modern society has led to a sense of alienation and emptiness that has left many wondering where we are headed.  The emergence of radical fundamentalist beliefs, irresponsible economic practices on the part of major corporations, and ongoing evidence of catastrophic environmental collapse all suggest that the prevailing worldview is nearing its denouement, a dramatic moment in the evolution of our species. 

The new science of ecology, developed in the middle of the 20^th C. to explore the interrelationships between species and their environments, began a process of shifting scientific exploration from isolated and ever-smaller phenomena to the systems of interactions that together form an ecosystem.  Simultaneously the relatively recent discipline of psychology began exploring the impact of relationships and environmental conditions on personal development.  It was a psychologist, Erich Fromm, who coined the term “biophilia” to describe a fundamental human emotion.  Fromm was trained as both a social psychologist and a psychoanalyst and held an optimistic view of humanity’s ability to overcome the guilt, alienation, and loss that accompany the development of consciousness.  In his “Humanist Credo” Fromm wrote “I believe that the man choosing progress can find a new unity through the development of all his human forces, which are produced in three orientations.  These can be presented separately or together: biophilia, love for humanity and nature, and independence and freedom”[1]. 

The etymology of the term “biophilia” combines “bio-“ (life) with “-philia” (friendship, abiding relationship).  The Harvard natural scientist E. O. (Edward Osborne) Wilson has explored a “biophilia hypothesis” in several books and papers.  This hypothesis suggests an instinctual connection to nature that informs our emotional being at its deepest level.  In one talk Wilson asks “how could our relation to nature, on which survival depended minute by minute for millions of years, not in some way be reflected in the rules of cognitive development that generate the human mind?”[2].  

In this same talk Wilson mentions totem worship and the power of place as two examples of biophilia.  Totemic culture establishes descent of the family or clan from an animal or nature spirit ancestor as the basis of personal, familial and cultural identity.  Kinship is the ultimate human value expressing the network of relationships upon which society and personality are largely based.  By claiming kinship with an animal or nature spirit a bond is declared with the animate dimension of the natural world.  The phenomenon of totemism, observed in primal societies worldwide, provides a clear example of the dynamic nature of biophilia in human culture. 

We have all experienced the power of certain places.  Waterfront locations are inherently peaceful while mountains and rivers can inspire awe.  The “dreamtime” mythology of the Australian aborigines describes the origins of natural features in terms of the deeds and exploits of prehistoric creatures who roamed the earth at the time of creation.  The aboriginal people, hunter-gatherers with little material culture, maintain their identity and sense of connection to their belief system by repeating the stories of the dreamtime and visiting the physical features where the vital energy of these mythological beings are manifest.  The dreamtime is an expression of the force of biophilia forming the essential motivating force in a primal human culture.  Other examples of belief systems that fall under the general category of “animism”[3] similarly express the dynamic of biophilia, whereby connection to the life force inherent in the natural world is maintained. 

As culture and technology evolved and cities were established human attitudes towards nature, along with religious belief systems, evolved as well.  The basis of worship and source of religious energy became increasingly remote from the natural world.  Deities lived on mountaintops or in ethereal realms rather than in rocks and streams.  Nature worship tended to become marginalized, especially in urban centers.  Increasingly nature became something to be tamed and subjugated.  The French sociologist and ethnologist Claude Levy-Bruhl used the term “participation mystique” to describe the psychological relationship of the “primitive mind” with nature.  Swiss psychologist Carl Jung used the phrase frequently as an equivalent of the psychological concept of “projection”, whereby contents belonging to the subject are recognized by that individual only in another.  When projections are withdrawn, Jung observed, the subject may react negatively towards the object which is no longer fulfilling his or her psychological needs.  A similar process can be ascribed to the evolving human relationship to the natural world as technology and cities developed.  Nature went from the sacred container of life to a wild force that required taming, being devalued and often destroyed. 

The epic of Gilgamesh, perhaps the oldest known written work of literary fiction, can be read as a parable of the evolving psychological relationship of man to nature.  Gilgamesh is a ruler of great power who has become distracted and bored with the business of civilization.  He befriends a half-wild figure named Enkidu who lives as an animal in intimate connection to nature and together they set off on a heroic quest, resulting in Enkidu’s death.  Gilgamesh is inconsolable and goes to great lengths to find the key to immortal life in hopes of reviving his companion, but all his efforts are in vain.  The tale is about more than the limits of human love and power.  This is a tale of the loss of our participation mystique with nature and the awareness of mortality that are the consequence of an independent consciousness. 

Although increasingly abstract and divorced from nature imagery religious belief systems continued to provide a sense of connection to sacred forces outside the individual self well into the historical era.  The Renaissance era introduced the age of Humanism, a philosophical system that rejected reference to supernatural forces.  As material progress has advanced, particularly since the time of the Industrial Revolution, the consequences on the natural world have become increasingly evident.  Our connection to the natural world that was complete and all-encompassing, then sacred, then tragically disrupted, has now become toxic, imperiling our world and ourselves. 

The current environmental crisis appears to have stirred the deep layers of our collective psyche where the instinctual force of biophilia resides.  Increased appreciation for the indigenous relationship to nature, countercultural belief systems that emphasize environmental stewardship, and the rising demand for sustainable practices in manufacturing, transportation, and the building sector are all symptoms of an emerging appreciation of our essential relationship to the natural world.  Ecology, once described as a “subversive science”[4], is rapidly replacing the dominant belief system with a new view of the world.  James Lovelock’s Gaia Hypothesis is a provocative expression of this new ecologicalJames Lovelock worldview.  By understanding all life as one interactive super-organism with self-regulatory properties the Gaia hypothesis provides a framework for a new understanding of our place on the planet earth.  This understanding, in concert with an awakening of our instinctual emotional connection to the life force (biophilia), may be our last best hope for avoiding total environmental calamity.  

 [1] Fromm, Erich The Heart of Man: Its Genius for Good and Evil, 1965. 

[2] Wilson, E. O. “Arousing Biophilia: A Conversation with E. O. Wilson” Williams College 1990.

[3] “The belief of animism is probably one of man's oldest beliefs, with its origin most likely dating to the Paleolithic age. From its earliest beginnings it was a belief that a soul or spirit existed in every object, even if it was inanimate. In a future state this soul or spirit would exist as part of an immaterial soul. The spirit, therefore, was thought to be universal.” From “Animism” by Alan G. Hefner and Virgilio Guimaraes. 

[4] Subversive Science: Essays Towards an Ecology of Man by Paul Shepard and Daniel McKinley (eds.) Boston Houghton Miflin Co. 1969.

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A. Vernon Woodworth, AIA, LEED AP, is a registered architect and code consultant with extensive experience in design, construction, code enforcement, and sustainability issues.  For the past 10 years Vernon has chaired the Boston Society of Architects’ Codes Committee, seeking to harmonize the Massachusetts State Building Code with the national model codes.  Vernon has also served as Chair of the AIA Codes Committee (2004) and was a member of the AIA’s Sustainability Task Group in 2006.  He has served on the AIA Board of Director’s Sustainability Discussion Group (SDiG) in 2007 and 2008, and on the AIA's Committee on the Environment (COTE) Advisory Group in 2009.  Vernon is the author of “From Ratings to Requirements: The Greening of Building Codes” which appeared in the 2007 ICC Building Safety Journal, and is a member of the International Code Council's Sustainable Buildings' Technology Committee, charged with producing the new International green Construction Code (IgCC).   Vernon currently teaches in both the Architecture and the Interior Design schools of the Boston Architectural College.