Every few days, I go to the recreation center to swim a few laps
for exercise. When I jump into the pool I get a refreshing sensation
not only because of the cool water, but because I am spending
time with myself to better my health. As I do the laps, I try
not to concentrate on the increasing energy I exert after each
lap that passes. Instead, I try to think of frustrations in my
life and other problems I need to solve. These frustrations and
problems range from emotional personal problems to academic related
problems. Once in while, however, I think of things that I could
only describe as plain weird. Since I have been swimming at the
recreation center, I have noticed one consistent weird thing I
have thought of almost every week. It is so weird, I almost hesitate
to tell anyone, but since it relates to the subject of my paper
I am not going to hold back. When I am doing laps, sometimes I
fear that there is an electric eel hiding in the foot ledge of
the pool wall. Although this fear makes me swim faster, which
is good for my physical health, thinking that there is an electric
eel in the wall makes me wonder about my mental health. I realize
that fearing an electric eel is a completely irrational thought,
especially in a chlorinated pool that is inside a recreation center
in the middle of Ohio, but the fear does not seem to disappear.
With respects to the subject of this paper (and to my sanity),
there could be many possible explanations of why I have this fear.
Over the course of our Research, Kris and I will be trying to figure out what the root of my
fear, and other fears of nature and living organisms, and attempt
to explain what seems to be a universal fear of the natural world.
Before beginning our Research, we have many questions about the fear of nature. One might be
asking right now, why wouldn’t someone be afraid of nature? Good
question. Although nature can be something to be admired, everyone
knows that it can be dangerous to the point of deadly. For instance,
rattle snakes, wolves, spiders, and insects can all be very detrimental
to human survival, but our question is why do people still fear
these animals even in societies that are far removed from natural
habitats. It seems that people who live in cities, for example,
would not fear snakes and other such animals because they generally
do not come in contact with them. Instead, it seems like a more
rational fear of city dwellers would of more contemporary threats
to their existence. Why do people fear snakes not guns? Why are
people aracknaphobic not car- phobic? Why am I afraid of an electric
eel in the Rec center pool and not of the fact that I live in
an extremely flammable building with horse hair installation.
These are all of the question we would like to answer. Kris and
I hypothesize that there is a genetic explanation to these irrational
fears which can be backed up by natural selection, but we also
are going to explore the discipline of psychology to see if there
are any alternative solutions. For our Research we have selected several books which we think will contribute
immensely to our studies. To support the psychological perspective
concerning the fear of nature, we have chosen Arne Ohman’s Fear
the Beast and Face the Fear and James Hillman’s Going Bugs. To
support the biological perspective we have chosen Roger Ulrich’s
Biophilia, Biophobia, and Natural Landscapes and Murray and Foote’s
Origin of the Fear of Snakes.
Since we have been focusing on a biological reason for the “fear
of nature” , it seems appropriate and crucial to do a focused
field Study. After reading an article discussing the fear of snakes in Rhesus
monkey’s , we thought it would be interesting to look at how certain
animals (humans included) , react adversely to specific aspects
of nature. For instance , cross-culturally there appears a fear
of certain animal species’. The shark , bear , spider and snake
are just a few animals that seem to inspire not only fear , but
also a type of awe -- why is this ? By interviewing a selected
group of people , perhaps we can gain some insight into what aspects
of nature people are afraid of and why. Many individuals have
said they are terrified of spiders , yet is there a specific reason
for this fear or , is a person simply terrified of arachnids for
reasons they can’t explain ?
The idea of “facing the beast and fearing the face” is very fascinating.
A trip to the Cincinnati Zoo may uncover some interesting questions
for our Study. When watching Lowland Gorillas , one is often able to observe
a fear of small crawling bugs as well as snakes. If we are unable
to witness this type of behavior firsthand , we intend to ask
zoo keepers about these types of encounters. A huge gorilla afraid
of a spider ? Human beings deathly frightened of sharks ? These
questions seem to hold quite a bit of paradox : “Well of course
people are scared of sharks and alligators -- they kill people!”
. Most would agree with this statement , yet the probability of
even coming into contact with some of these “predators” is very
rare. However , we still remain afraid. Even huge gorilla’s have
been shown becoming agitated and scared over a spider that they
could easily squash , this idea may help to support the idea of
a biological reason for this type of behavior.
These fears of nature are not new , they have existed across many
cultures for millions of years. Spanish philosopher , Jose Ortega
Gassett , believed : “man was once a beast” and that our fear
of nature exists because we are biologically linked to the animals
we are afraid of. Throughout history , man has been portrayed
“ conquering the wilderness” or going out to “slay the Grizzly”
. This depiction shows man attempting to assert some type of power
over a natural world that he may otherwise be unable to control.
In addition , this scene also portrays a competitiveness man has
with nature.
By interviewing as well as delving into specific philosophy and
literature , we will be able to explore the belief that “fear
of nature” is , in fact , biological. As we continue to do more
Research , more specific testing Weather Modelss can be developed. In terms of doing interviewing , we will be
able to develop specific lines of questioning as we Progress in our Study. Most of the time people don’t address their fears of nature
, and perhaps challenging them to do this will lend support to
our argument. Quite a few people have argued that we have been
socially conditioned to fear nature , yet some biologists have
stated that : “The true meaning of evolution stems from an aggressive
‘will to power’” . This “will to power” can be applied to how
we view our natural surroundings : what we can’t control (or what
we see as having the power to control or hurt us) is something
we must dominate. This domination stems from a fear that is inherent.
It is a viable point to argue that we slaughter mountain lions
because we’re afraid they will somehow cause us harm. By reading
and interviewing , we hope to generate conversation , thereby
forcing people to deconstruct their nature fears. Conducting this
type of Research should support some of the biological arguments stated above.
Looking at the other side of the spectrum , one could say that
we have been taught to fear bears and snakes , yet by looking
back at ancient civilizations , it becomes apparent that the same
ideas existed. Our argument has many interesting supports within
not only scientific circles , but philosophy and literature as
well. By drawing from all of these disciplines we will be able
to narrow down our field Study. As we are still gathering preliminary information , it is difficult
to specify tailored interview questions -- we will be developing
these aspects of our Study as we continue Researching.
Since we have been focusing on a biological reason for the “fear
of nature” , it seems appropriate and crucial to do a focused
field Study. After reading an article discussing the fear of snakes in Rhesus
monkey’s , we thought it would be interesting to look at how certain
animals (humans included) , react adversely to specific aspects
of nature. For instance , cross-culturally there appears a fear
of certain animal species’. The shark , bear , spider and snake
are just a few animals that seem to inspire not only fear , but
also a type of awe -- why is this ? By interviewing a selected
group of people , perhaps we can gain some insight into what aspects
of nature people are afraid of and why. Many individuals have
said they are terrified of spiders , yet is there a specific reason
for this fear or , is a person simply terrified of arachnids for
reasons they can’t explain ?
The idea of “facing the beast and fearing the face” is very fascinating.
A trip to the Cincinnati Zoo may uncover some interesting questions
for our Study. When watching Lowland Gorillas , one is often able to observe
a fear of small crawling bugs as well as snakes. If we are unable
to witness this type of behavior firsthand , we intend to ask
zoo keepers about these types of encounters. A huge gorilla afraid
of a spider ? Human beings deathly frightened of sharks ? These
questions seem to hold quite a bit of paradox : “Well of course
people are scared of sharks and alligators -- they kill people!”
. Most would agree with this statement , yet the probability of
even coming into contact with some of these “predators” is very
rare. However , we still remain afraid. Even huge gorilla’s have
been shown becoming agitated and scared over a spider that they
could easily squash , this idea may help to support the idea of
a biological reason for this type of behavior.
These fears of nature are not new , they have existed across many
cultures for millions of years. Spanish philosopher , Jose Ortega
Gassett , believed : “man was once a beast” and that our fear
of nature exists because we are biologically linked to the animals
we are afraid of. Throughout history , man has been portrayed
“ conquering the wilderness” or going out to “slay the Grizzly”
. This depiction shows man attempting to assert some type of power
over a natural world that he may otherwise be unable to control.
In addition , this scene also portrays a competitiveness man has
with nature.
By interviewing as well as delving into specific philosophy and
literature , we will be able to explore the belief that “fear
of nature” is , in fact , biological. As we continue to do more
Research , more specific testing Weather Modelss can be developed. In terms of doing interviewing , we will be
able to develop specific lines of questioning as we Progress in our Study. Most of the time people don’t address their fears of nature
, and perhaps challenging them to do this will lend support to
our argument. Quite a few people have argued that we have been
socially conditioned to fear nature , yet some biologists have
stated that : “The true meaning of evolution stems from an aggressive
‘will to power’” . This “will to power” can be applied to how
we view our natural surroundings : what we can’t control (or what
we see as having the power to control or hurt us) is something
we must dominate. This domination stems from a fear that is inherent.
It is a viable point to argue that we slaughter mountain lions
because we’re afraid they will somehow cause us harm. By reading
and interviewing , we hope to generate conversation , thereby
forcing people to deconstruct their nature fears. Conducting this
type of Research should support some of the biological arguments stated above.
Looking at the other side of the spectrum , one could say that
we have been taught to fear bears and snakes , yet by looking
back at ancient civilizations , it becomes apparent that the same
ideas existed. Our argument has many interesting supports within
not only scientific circles , but philosophy and literature as
well. By drawing from all of these disciplines we will be able
to narrow down our field Study. As we are still gathering preliminary information , it is difficult
to specify tailored interview questions -- we will be developing
these aspects of our Study as we continue Researching.
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