Biophilia hypothesis

The term biophilia ( Greek: bios ' life ' and philia ' love ' ) was terminologically by Erich Fromm in ' The soul of man ' (1964 ) introduced in the context of his characterology and ethics and means' love of life ' or ' love to the living '. Regardless of Fromm developed the socio- biologist Edward O. Wilson in his book ' Biophilia ' (1984 ) the ' biophilia hypothesis'.

The biophile character orientation

In ' The soul of man ' Advanced Erich Fromm in his ' Psychoanalysis and Ethics ' (1947 ) developed characterology to the description of biophilic oriented growth syndrome and necrophiliac oriented syndrome of decay. This should be stated that " belong to a biophilic -productive or non-productive orientation necrophiliac - specific components that converge with increasing strength of the productive or non-productive orientation. " Also added Erich Fromm in the ' Psychoanalysis and Ethics ' made distinction added various non - productive character orientations nor a necrophiliac character orientation, he further pointed out in ' Anatomy of Human Destructiveness ' (1973). His identification of the productive character orientation, he expanded to the extent that they are " the full development of biophilia " was. Erich Fromm defines biophilia as "the desire to promote the growth, whether it is a human, a plant, an idea or a social group. "

The biophile Ethics

In ' The human soul ' and ' Anatomy of Human Destructiveness ' Fromm also describes the principle of a ' biophilic Ethics ': " Well, everything that serves life; evil is all that serves death. Well, the reverence for life, everything that is the life, growth, development conducive. . Evil is anything that stifles life, narrows and everything it dismembered " Fromm attacks here on a formulation of Albert Schweitzer, in ' Culture and Ethics ' (1923 ) wrote," is good, preserve life and promote life; is evil, destroy life and inhibit life "and this as the " conceived fundamental principle of morality. " Although in ' The soul of man ' hardly possible to find systematic reflections on ethics in Erich Fromm and the reference of ' biophilic ethics ' to the developed in ' Psychoanalysis and Ethics ' humanistic ethics ' remains unclear, but is between two conceptions of a continuity assumed. So writes about Rainer Funk that " humanistic ethics identical with ' biophiler ethics ' " was. The concept of ethics biophilic was a few decades later by Rupert Lay taken up in ' ethics for managers ' (1991 ), although he broke him from his embedding in Fromm Characterology and the biocentric perspective is not formulated with him. So is his ' Biophilia postulate ': " Always act so that in your own person or in the person of any other people you Multilevel rather the personal life because minderst. " According to orientations, attitudes, interests, expectations, decisions and actions are Lay " if and only biophilic if they own and / or foreign -personal life rather increase than diminish. "

Biophilia Hypothesis

The ' biophilia hypothesis' is formulated from an evolutionary perspective theory by Edward O. Wilson, he first pointed out in his book, ' Biophilia ', and later, among others, Stephen Kellert in 'The Biophilia Hypothesis ' (1993). Since Wilson Erich Fromm not cited, it is unclear whether he knew his theories. Wilson defines ' Biophilia ' as "the innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes" Over evolutionary affinity of people to the many forms of life and to the habitats and ecosystems have "developed [ ..] that make life. " An attempt was made to make the biophilia hypothesis, the starting point for environmentally ethical considerations. So Wilson writes about a ' Conservation Ethic ', after the life and biodiversity should be preserved and protected.