The United States of America, with its sprawling cities and rolling Mid-Western plains, lives a dual-life. The cities and more heavily populated areas hum with energy, yet people still find themselves drawn to the countryside, even for a weekend. And in the more rural parts, people desire to leave their quiet lives behind, drawn to the megalithic expanse of the urban areas. This desire can be attributed to craving something bigger than one’s self, whether it is being a part of a larger community or connection with the “great outdoors”, Americans are fortunate to have access to two vast and drastically different landscapes.
Edward O. Wilson, in his 1984 memoir, “The Biophilia Hypothesis”, describes the titled term (which he claims to have coined), by explaining that Biophilia is “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life,” specifically nature. However, anyone who is familiar with the concepts that Thoreau and Emerson were thinking about in their 19th Century texts, “Walden” and “Nature” respectively, they would notice that Wilson’s hypothesis is in dialogue with these same concepts.
Both Thoreau and Emerson acknowledge the restorative powers of nature, as well as the innate human desire to connect with forces larger than ourselves—like the universe. Thoreau refers to this feeling, once he has moved to Walden Pond and connected with nature, as having “as it were, my own sun and moon and stars, and a little world all to myself” in Chapter Five (Solitude) of his novel “Walden”.
If you’re interested in Wilson’s take on this Thoreauvian and Emersonian concept, here’s a link to his book on Amazon!
https://www.amazon.ca/Biophilia-Edward-Wilson/dp/0674074424
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