Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A strong attraction for or emotional attachment to the living world.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun the love of nature and all living things

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

bio- + -philia

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Examples

  • The term biophilia, coined by Wilson, describes the human affinity for life, which according to Wilson, engenders both a human-to-human connection and a human connection to all other living species.

    Serendip's Exchange Schmeltz 2010

  • As though we didn't know that Wilson has raised awareness about biodiversity and why it matters, coined the term biophilia to describe our intrinsic connection to and love for animals and other organisms, and profoundly altered our understanding of social behavior.

    Critical Mass 2010

  • It's called biophilia -- an oddly scary term for an interesting idea: we are genetically programmed to interact with nature.

    Dr. Peggy Drexler: Stuart and Polly: Is There Anything Else We Can Get You? Dr. Peggy Drexler 2011

  • It's called biophilia -- an oddly scary term for an interesting idea: we are genetically programmed to interact with nature.

    Dr. Peggy Drexler: Stuart and Polly: Is There Anything Else We Can Get You? Dr. Peggy Drexler 2011

  • Carel gets philosophical with a young animal rights activist over predatory biophilia: "In essence, Tim and his hunter target audience are both motivated by the same animal drive: an innate love and fascination with other animals, that thing that Edward O. Wilson called biophilia, a trait that's strongest in the predators: the sated leopard that watches each gazelle with keen interest, the wolves that slaughter the silly contents of a sheep corral and leave them for the magpies, and the well-fed suburbanite, an SUV hauling his camo-clad ass up the mountainside."

    Archive 2006-09-01 2006

  • As to why we love hearing birds sing, American biologist EO Wilson coined the term "biophilia" for our deep human need to connect with nature.

    Birdsong: the cure for all ills? 2010

  • The organisation extols not just the fitness benefits of working out outside, but our need to spend time in the great outdoors to maintain overall mental and physical wellbeing - defined by the great biologist Edward O Wilson as "biophilia".

    EcoEarth.Info Environment RSS Newsfeed info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Lucy Siegle 2010

  • The organisation extols not just the fitness benefits of working out outside, but our need to spend time in the great outdoors to maintain overall mental and physical wellbeing - defined by the great biologist Edward O Wilson as "biophilia".

    The Guardian World News 2010

  • The organisation extols not just the fitness benefits of working out outside, but our need to spend time in the great outdoors to maintain overall mental and physical wellbeing - defined by the great biologist Edward O Wilson as "biophilia".

    EcoEarth.Info Environment RSS Newsfeed info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Lucy Siegle 2010

  • It is effective because it taps into the "biophilia" in us, and works to convey an environmental benefit - real or imagined - of a product.

    The Guardian World News 2010

  • Because of “biophilia” — humanity’s deep-seated affinity for nature.

    The Biophilia Paradox Clive Thompson 2023

  • In the 1970s, the psychoanalyst Erich Fromm was one of the first to use the term “biophilia” itself.

    The Biophilia Paradox Clive Thompson 2023

Comments

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  • a concept exemplified by E.O. Wilson

    December 18, 2008

  • From single-celled swimmers with cilia,

    To sea beasts warm-blooded and chillier,

    Slow mammals, fast birds,

    Alone and in herds -

    All creatures inspire biophilia.

    February 16, 2016