CONNECTION TO NATURE, DEEP ECOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION SOCIAL SCIENCE human-nature... bonding and protecting the natural world

In Connection to Nature, Deep Ecology, and Conservation Social Science: Human-Nature Bonding and Protecting the Natural World , Christian Diehm analyzes the relevance of the philosophy of deep ecology to contemporary discussions of human-nature connectedness. Focusing on deep ecologists’ notion of “identification” with nature, Diehm argues that deep ecological theory is less conceptually problematic than is sometimes thought, and offers valuable insights into what a sense of connection to nature entails, what its attitudinal and behavioral effects might be, and how it might be nurtured and developed. This book is closely informed by, and engages at length with, conservation social science, which Diehm draws on to assess the claims of deep ecology theorists, resolve long-standing problems associated with their work, investigate the impacts of time outdoors on human-nature bonding, and critically review the biophilia hypothesis. Emphasizing the foundational role of ecologically-inclusive identities in pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, Diehm demonstrates that having a sense of connection to nature is more important than many environmental advocates have realized, and that deep ecology has much to add to the increasingly pressing conversations about it. Cover 1 Connection to Nature, Deep Ecology, and Conservation Social Science 2 Connection to Nature, Deep Ecology, and Conservation Social Science: Human-Nature Bonding and Protecting the Natural World 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Foreword 8 Notes 11 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 14 Deep Ecological Theory and the Deep Ecology Movement 15 The Death of Deep Ecology? 18 Plan of the Book 21 Notes 23 Chapter 1 28 Self-Realization and Identification with Nature 28 Self-Realization 29 Identification with Nature 32 Identification, Self-Realization, and Self-Interest 41 Connected to Others 45 Notes 46 Chapter 2 54 Ecological Identity Matters 54 Human-Nature Bonding 55 Biospheric Values and Enlightened Self-Interest 62 Places versus the Environment? 65 Orienting Ourselves to Nature 68 Notes 69 Chapter 3 80 Connection to Nature and Environmental Values 80 Kinship with Nature 81 Belonging to Nature 89 Nature’s Intrinsic Value? 94 Identification as a Source of Belief in Intrinsic Value 97 Notes 98 Chapter 4 108 We Belong Outside 108 Significant Life Experiences 109 When, How Often, and Where? 111 Outdoor Experience and Human-Nature Bonding 113 Outdoor Experience in Deep Ecological Thought 116 Rugged, Rural, and Elitist? 119 Outdoor Experience as a Source of Deep Ecological Attitudes 122 Notes 124 Chapter 5 132 Loving More-than-Human Life 132 Biophilia in the Work of Stephen Kellert 133 Biophilia, Deep Ecology, and Environmental Ethics 136 Anthropocentrism and Biophilic Anthropocentrism 138 Biophilia beyond Anthropocentrism 141 Loving More-than-Human Life 143 Notes 146 Bibliography 152 Index 170 About the Author 176 "This book explores human-nature connectedness through deep ecological philosophy and conservation social science. Emphasizing ecologically-inclusive identities, it argues that connection to nature is more important than many environmental advocates realize and that deep ecology contributes much to the increasingly pressing conversations about it"-- Provided by publisher