Biophilia and Gaia: Two Hypothesis for an Affective Ecology

Affective Ecology is a new branch of ecology concerned with emotional relationships between human beings and the rest of the living world. The basic instinct that guides the evolution and maturation of a well-tuned relationship with the living world seems to be biophilia, our innate tendency to focus upon life and life-like forms and, in some instances, to affiliate with them emotionally (The Biophilia Hypothesis). Our feeling of a deep connection to Nature, our sensation of being a child of Mother Earth, of Gaia, is probably an instinct and it is present in all human cultures, including those more technologically advanced, where a scientific understanding of the planet’s living nature has been developing to an ever more advanced level (The Gaia Hypothesis). Nevertheless, within our artificial society, now distant from the natural world, we are running the risk that our biophilia is not becoming adequately stimulated in order for it to flourish as naturalist intelligence, the ability to take care of and subtly interact with living creatures. On a brighter note, we are discovering that Gaia continues to affect us on a deep psychological level, activating our involuntary attention (fascination) and favouring the restoration of our attentional capacity. We can all learn to respond to the call of Gaia and the natural world, to refine our senses and our mental capacities through the practice of active silence (mindfulness meditation); an engagement that seems to be particularly efficient in re-establishing our personal connections with Gaia and the living world