DEVELOPMENTAL-PSYCHOLOGY AND THE BIOPHILIA HYPOTHESIS - CHILDRENS AFFILIATION WITH NATURE

A venturesome hypothesis has been put forth by Wilson (1984), Kellert (1996), and others and has been receiving increasing support. The hypo thesis asserts the existence of biophilia, a fundamental, genetically based human need and propensity to affiliate with other living organis ms. A review of the biophilia literature sets into motion three overar ching concerns. One focuses on the genetic basis of biophilia. A secon d focuses on how to understand seemingly negative affiliations with na ture within the biophilic framework. A third focuses on the quality of supporting evidence and whether the biophilia hypothesis can be disco nfirmed. Through this critical examination, biophilia emerges as a val uable interdisciplinary framework for investigating the human affiliat ion with nature. Yet it is clearly a nascent framework, and some of it s potential lies in charting a stronger ontogenetic course. Toward thi s end, in the second half of this article a structural-developmental a pproach is framed for investigating biophilia. Support for this approa ch is provided by discussing the author's recent studies-conducted in the United States and in the Brazilian Amazon-on children's environmen tal reasoning and values. (C) 1997 Academic Press.