Excerpt from: Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect
by David Orr
Are You Biophobic or Biophilia?
I learned two new words when reading an excerpt from Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect: biophobia and biophilia. A person that has biophobia doesn't want to be around the natural environment; they would rather be among manmade things and technology. A person who has biophilia loves to be around nature. It seems that over the years the majority of people have become biophobic more so than biophilic. Our world has become very fast paced with new technologies and overpopulation. The environment is being pushed aside and kids are growing up with less and less of a natural environment around them in many areas of the world. The author paints the picture of why more and more people are becoming biophobic by stating, "undefiled nature is being replaced by a defiled nature of landfills, junk yards, strip mines, clear-cuts, blighted cities, six-lane freeways, suburban sprawl, polluted rivers, and superfund sites, all of which deserve our phobias." We get caught up in work and business trying to make money so that we can live comfortable lives. However, the air is not as clean as it used to be, the climate has changed, and there is constantly new construction to keep up with the growing population, which only hurts the environment more. The biophiliacs and biophobics need to come together to educate the mass population to take good care of and enjoy the natural environment that should be all around us. The future of all humans, plants and animals depend on it.
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