The following excerpt is from a chapter entitled “Biophilia and the Conservation Ethic” by Edward 0. Wilson in the book The Biophilia Hypothesis by Kellert, Stephen; Wilson Edward O. 1993.
“BIOPHILIA, IF IT exists, and I believe it exists, is the innately emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms. Innate means hereditary and hence part of ultimate human nature. Biophilia, like other patterns of complex behavior, is likely to be mediated by rules of prepared and counter-prepared teaming-the tendency to learn or to resist teaming certain responses as opposed to others. From the scant evidence concerning its nature, biophilia is not a single instinct but a complex of learning rules that can be teased apart and analyzed individually. The feelings molded by the Teaming rules fall along several emotional spectra: from attraction to aversion, from awe to indifference, from peacefulness to fear-driven anxiety.”
To read more go to: http://dhushara.tripod.com/book/diversit/restor/bph1.htm