The Biophilia Hypothesis & Mental Health

This provocative piece questioning the association between ecopsychology and biophilia was submitted by Douglas Radmore, undergraduate student of Criminology and Psychology at the University of Brighton, Sussex (England):

The concept of biophilia is a prevalent one within ecopsychology and is implicated in many theories within the school (White & Keerwagen, 2013). This article will take a brief look into the implications of biophilia and biophobia on our everyday mental wellbeing, with particular focus on disgust based biophobic reactions and their cultural implications.

Download the entire article in pdf format, here: Examination of the Biophilia Hypothesis and its implications for Mental Health.

Finding Galleon’s Lap

by John Wickham

As a child I was perplexed why mountain climbers would return empty-handed.  They always ascended as if hunting for something lost or left behind.  Then venturing up with my parents to Camels Hump in Vermont, I too looked around.  But the journey down lasted 30 years until I climbed back for  the meaning of the summit.

Still a youth, my descent from the mountain began with a emotional detour.  I weathered internal, opposing forces.  While discovering the passion of the guitar and composing, I was playing war with friends as soldier-boys.  As a young adult I pursued both vocations, music and the Army.  But lurking in the underworld were the disharmony and battles for my soul.  Psychic-combat left no victors, only a downward trail into fog and darkness.

My last Army duty was at Fort Carson, Colorado.  The Post sits like an armpit wedged between the Great Plains and the jutting Rocky Mountains.  Fierce lightning storms would often park there in the Summer.  It was then I felt a magnetic tug upwards to misty peaks that seemed to pierce through into sunlight.

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Humanistic Design

by Daniel Schwab

This is a delightful exposition of the themes explored by an avid student of Life in his Senior Thesis for Evergreen State College. Daniel’s range includes the environment, design, mathematics, biophilia, pattern, modern technology, and community. Download pdfs for Daniel’s introduction and visual summary.