mark mussman & rebecca gale
INTRODUCTION
Our hypothesis reads that there is an innate connection, similar to the relation of a mother to her child between humans and the ocean, which is inherent to proximity to, interaction with, and desire for the ocean.
We decided on this project when we chose to select Biophilia as our week of research. Mark had spent some time at the ocean and had become very fond of it, thinking it might be a fascinating topic to research. Under the direction of Chris Myers, we realized that this could indeed turn into something very relevant to the class topic, the Nature of human Nature. In formulating a proposal, we noticed the relevance of a field study. Putting the Ohio River out of the question, a trip to the ocean seemed feasible. Using the guise of research and class exploration we set off on March 12, equipped with surveys, backpacks and overzealous adventures in mind.
In San Francisco, we planned to accomplish the following: complete the very minimum of 32 surveys, conducting several in depth interviews, explore the city, looking at both the art and architecture, and ultimately examining the validity of our hypothesis.
This research is interesting because we had a fantastic time collecting it. We came to San Francisco with our own agendas, and found our own unexplainable connection to the ocean. A great deal of our research is original, in its raw and unedited form. This is the ultimate experiment to deal with the nature of human nature. We want to assert that our study was done in order to get a better understanding of how the Biophilia Hypothesis directly relates to the Oceans of the world, specifically the Pacific. Because the Biophilia Hypothesis is just that, a hypothesis, we in no way can argue that our findings are truth, but we do believe they reflect common held beliefs and ideals of human nature. Happy reading.
BIG PICTURE RELEVANCE
Oh, the relevance. The most research that has extensively been done on this topic falls into two categories. The Biophilia hypothesis and the Gaia theory. Robert Wright best articulates Biophilia in our class textbook of The Moral Animal. The human connection to nature is clearly evidenced by our survival and dependency on it. We live to further ourselves in the world. The concept of altruism is the basis of which altruism stems from. Nature is the setting, the crutch and the enemy.
The ocean is seen as the interdisciplinary approach to altruistic behavior because it acts as a sanctuary to so many that calls it home. This goes beyond the natives, the nearby beach dwellers and sand crabs. Our research extended to those who have rarely been but posses some innate desire to go. We originally conducted a survey in our own section of NS class. It was a poor turnout, with inconclusive results and many people never even venturing out of the Midwest. It was not until we got to a place where people regularly interact with the ocean on any sort of grand scale that we could see some conclusions. The Biophilia connection agrees with our theory of a subtle connection, one that is so hidden behind layers of subconscious that our social constructs keep it there.
Nevertheless after fruitful days of research and late nights in the computer lab using Microsoft Excel, we have found overwhelming evidence that there is a connection. Humans are drawn to the ocean. Some survey/interview participants could not articulate it as well as others, but between P-values and Bar graphs we can see that they do. Read on.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Our experimental design utilizes surveying and individual interviewing. We feel that this design was most conducive for obtaining results because of the hypothetical nature of our project. Since we wanted to look at San Franciscan attitudes towards the ocean we needed to prepare ourselves accordingly before traveling thousands of miles to our test site. Before leaving we gave a survey to Miami students (see Appendix A) concerning their connection to the ocean. We used the results and their reactions to the questions to formulate our new San Franciscan survey (see Appendix B). We decided against further surveying students after our return home because we feel that our data is sound and that our focus is narrowed on the San Franciscan attitude as our test area and we have the same number of usable surveys for both test areas. During our individual interviews we took down quotes of what they said as well as asked some individuals to draw representations of the ocean.
Timeline
Our first batch of surveys were handed out the week of January 31, to our class of about 20 Miami University students, most of them being western majors. We submitted our proposal the first week in February online. After a peer review we modified our research topic slightly and made our hypothesis stronger by including more substantive ideas. Further research began on Tuesday March 14 when we set off on TWA from Columbus, Ohio at eight in the morning to the land of San Francisco. Yeah. Rebecca kept a journal, a damn good one in fact. The first day was taken up by flying, first to St Louis and then to San Francisco. Once into the Bay area, we wasted no time in distributing surveys to anyone who was willing to take a couple minutes and fill one out. This day was focused mostly on sightseeing and pictures of ocean inspired architecture. At dusk it was off to the beach to witness a sunset and interview the locals.
Wednesday April 15, we went right to the beach and flooded the beach goers with surveys. We went on an extensive walk through the city, more to learn street names and directions than anything else.
Thursday April 16, anxious to spend another day at the beach collecting more data, we were sent away by gales of wind that made it difficult to turn around. Instead we went to focus on other elements of the city, particularly the nature outside of the ocean. Through Golden Gate Park we ventured, building a fire at a campsite and examining windmills.
Friday April 17, at this point we have a solid direction in which our conclusions are heading. We venture all across the city, handing out surveys and wandering the streets,
Saturday April 18, the trip home, a long travel which occupied the majority of the day. Well worth it though.
Back in the land of Oxford, our presentation was Tuesday April 11. We presented graphs, pictures, and quotes from our research. Which brings us to the present. Hereís the final project. Hope you enjoy.
RESULTS
Initially we found that more people at Miami struggled with the idea that the ocean can feel pull of the ocean. In fact, 53% of those surveyed at Miami agreed with the statement "Tides are caused by the gravity pull of the moon"; 90% of San Franciscans agreed with the previous statement concerning whether or not the ocean feels. San Franciscans also wrote that throwing a empty can into the ocean would hurt the ocean. It is apparent from the San Francisco survey that an environmental ethic is intact because many people declared that it is unthinkable to throw waste into the ocean. We feel that the best way to convey our results is through the comparisons of pie charts representing this question discussed here: Does the ocean feel the pull of the moon? This is the strongest of the questions in relation to the Biophilia hypothesis because it most closely relates to whether or not a humanesque relationship could even be fostered between man and the ocean.
The Miami students also struggled with the idea of even being born into a body of water whereas all but a handfull of San Franciscans didnít think twice about being born into the Pacific. Even those who chose the San Francisco Bay didnít show a perplexed or disgusted reaction to the question. Every person in San Francisco had more than 16 visits to the ocean and were willing to spend time speaking with us about their relationship with the Pacific Ocean. Very few people were unable to think of things that represented the ocean in their homes. All San Franciscans wrote of numerous things in their home that represents the ocean, from shells to paintings to the actual sound of the ocean out their bedroom windows. When comparing the activities of San Francisco people and Miami students we found a p-value of .7141. After entering our data into StatView we found our null hypothesis (that the groups are statistically similar) to be incorrect ó the interaction with the ocean between the two groups is statistically different.
DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS
By utilizing the ocean as an integral part of their lives, humans are able to connect with nature. Our trip to the west coast gave us first hand interaction with people, as well as our own personal feelings. Near the shore in San Francisco we saw first hand how people are very insistent to live close to the water; for those who live further away several forms of public transportation will transport them to the ocean day or night. In the city we saw reflections of the ocean in the architecture, artistic representations, and commercial ventures (see Photo Gallery immediately following our Discussion & Conclusions). The overall vibe is infused with the currents of the ocean pounding to the west, which is seen from the peopleís laid back attitudes to the traffic flow.
Like the city, the ocean itself has a fantastical makeup, one that breathes life in and out of the world. Where they come together at the shore water is always in motion, often moving with great force. The sunís great heat generates currents into the atmosphere, where the breeze and wind create friction with the surface of the sea. As the water absorbs the energy, it begins to move, creating waves (Amos, p11). Forces that give energy to the water are considered the "winds of the atmosphere" also known as the gravitational pull of both the sun and the moon (Amos, p62-62). So many elements of the world both influence and react to the ocean and its movements, including humans.
Humans have been relating to each other since birth, which makes it is easy to personify the ocean. In doing this we start to allow a relationship that embodies our connection with nature. Those who answered our survey took an environmental stance and demonstrated that their relationship with the ocean is significant and that they would not want to "hurt [the oceanís] feelings." When asked how the ocean would react to a soda can being thrown into it, people responded using real emotions: "Angry, I donít throw things into the ocean" or "tries to spit it back out." The overwhelming amount of responses included the stipulation that the participant would never throw garbage into the ocean. Also in our survey, we asked if the ocean could feel the gravitational pull of the tides caused by the moon. As mentioned earlier 90% believe that the ocean could.
Our study concluded that the connection to the ocean is apparent. What we did not make obvious is the connection to overall nature. The Biophilia hypothesis explains that humans are biologically motivated to love their natural surroundings, because they feel a part of them. Our study strongly supports this hypothesis.
Freudian theory emphasizes the relationship of the mother and childósomething so critical and influential that is sometimes unconsciously internalized. In studying the ocean and the people who were most passionate towards it, we found an underlying theme of unconditional love and lasting support. The ocean is a sanctuary (a meditative place) that gives indescribable and powerful feelings many times more powerful than those feelings from lakes and rivers.
"The ocean is the emotional body of the world" as explained by a self proclaimed healer named Michael. "There are four parts to the cycle: earth, air, fire and water. They represent the self: physicality, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally respectively. The Pacific Ocean is considered the Mother Ocean, because it is larger than the Atlantic, Indian and Arctic combined."
We inhabit a female planet, since she produces life. The female can shed her socially constructed glass ceiling in nature as she is revered and worshipped for her ability to create life. People in San Francisco join in pagan celebrations on the ocean when there is a full moon, new moon or special occasion. By bringing celebration to the ocean we are giving props to the divine depths of the ocean where all life was created. As evolution took its course, we inherited an amniotic sac that contained salinity similar to that of the ocean. Species began to evolve that could reproduce on land. The ocean is still the female emotional being who birthed us; the giant kelps in the Pacific Ocean are brown sea weeds that we understand to be our sexual ancestors (Platt, 133). Because we have been spawned from the ocean it does not judge usóit welcomes everything and is a source of life, food, work, and spirituality. The unconditional ocean is like our mother. We feel connected.
When analyzing the mother connection to the ocean, we focused all of our efforts on the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean, as the largest body of water in the world, provided an emotional sanctuary for people thirsting for an escape from modern life. A way sociobiologists can explain this phenomenon is with the Gaia hypothesis. A relatively new theory, yet to be entirely prove, the Gaia hypothesis was developed by James Lovelock of Great Britain in the late 1960s. The theory states that the Earth is a single living body that works together to sustain itself. It states more broadly that there are systems on Earth that correct each other to keep everything in a constant balance. The ocean, the air, the land and the people have an intricate way of working together to establish harmony. The chaos caused by the daily stresses from city life can be relived at the ocean, this vast escape into a meditative haven.
When in San Francisco, we examined what people do at the ocean; how do they tap into this fantastic resource of theirs? The most common responses were relaxing and walking, things that provides a momentary tranquil vacation from the rest of the dog-eat-dog world. Wherever we walked there were people engaged in various activities, all with the main objective to go to a place where their daily cycle could be complete. Some had greater passion, there was both a surfer and a kite flyer who had explicitly come to San Francisco to pursue their talents. As the ocean lover said, "this beats University any day."
The ocean, however large it may be, is limited to those who live by the shore. Despite proximity and or visitation, people responded on their surveys to the fact that there were items in their home to remind them of the ocean in some way. Items ranged from the typical seashells and artwork of all sorts to driftwood furniture and a shrine to Hawaii. While modern life can never completely vanish, and the ocean my not always be located in your backyard, thereís clearly an effective and a much utilized way of having it there.
Suggestions for improvement are a more thorough organization of our data. A problem we ran into was retyping material that had never been saved to a disk. If given the opportunity to do the entire assignment over, we would plan for a longer stay in San Francisco, deliver even more surveys, and get more extensive interviews. We were able to collect an equal amount of surveys for those landlocked folk, but it would have been fascinating to compare those people who were in direct contact to another body of water. The Ohio River would have been a spectacular study. Maybe next time. Perhaps a trip to Hilton Head is in order.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Amos, William H. The Life of the Seashore. McGraw-Hill: New York. 1966
Benchley, Peter. Ocean Planet. Times Mirror Magazines Inc: New York. 1995
Borgese, Elisabeth M. The Drama of the Oceans. Abrams Inc: New York. 1975
Gore, Albert. Striking the Balance, Introduction. No date given.
Lovelock, James. Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth. Oxford Press: New York. 1979
Platt, Rutherford. Water: The Wonder of Life. Prentice-Hall: New Jersey. 1971
Western Regional Climate Center (http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliRECtM.pl?casfor)
Wilson, Edward O. Biophilia and the Conservation Ethic, Chapter One.
Wright, Robert. The Moral Animal.Vintage Books:New York, New York. 1994.
Next Article
Previous Article
Return to the Topic Menu
Here is a list of responses that have been posted to this Study...
IMPORTANT: Press the Browser Reload button to view the latest contribution.
Respond to this Submission!
IMPORTANT: For each Response, make sure the title of the response is different than previous titles shown above!
Article complete. Click HERE
to return to the Human Nature Menu.
Visit the rest of the site!