Biophilia is the built in connection humans have to nature, that Edward O. Wilson talks about in
Biophilia and the Conservation Ethic in this weeks reading. The hypothesis of biophilia is tested by are innate fear and fascination of snakes has come from natural selection. Snakes and serpents come up more often in dreams than any other creatures among all cultures. With this genetically built in connection to nature the question of what will happen to us humans as the natural environment disappears (at are hand nonetheless). It is proven that we relate to and prefer nature to civilization. This is the way I have visualized the nine typology values of biophilia (start top left going clockwise) Utilitarian, Naturalistic, Ecologistic-Scientific, Aesthetic, Symbolic, Humanistic, Moralistic, Dominionistic and Negativistic.
This connection to and interest in nature is cause for the need to create art. Leading me to the second article Toward an Aesthetic Marine Biology by J. Malcolm Shick, which discuses art in sciences. Over time we have had deeper and deeper interests in different sciences and art has developed and advanced in order to recorded and express these discoveries. From drawing to painting to photography art has recorded and exhibited the living world for all to see. The study of Marine biology has however done more for art than be recorded by it, it has continually inspired artist through time from Matisse to Jackson Pollock.
Interesting map, but can you elaborate on what aspects of biophilia are supposed to be represented by these images?
ReplyDeleteI really like your map, but I wonder if you could explain why you chose those particular images to symbolize Kellert's ideas. For example, how does the puppy dog fit into the idea of the humanistic relation to nature?
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest problems I had with the Wilson/Kellert article was their complete lack of evidence for many of their assertions, like the thing about snakes in dreams. I certainly can't remember having any dreams about snakes, nor do I often hear people talking about dreaming about snakes. Do you accept their assertion?
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