E.+O.+Wilson+(1988)

E.O. Wilson is the editor of //Biodiversity (1988),// a book that calls attention to our world’s depleting biodiversity and provides possible solutions to stop this trend. //By: Rachel Fox//

Wilson is a specialist in biology at Harvard University and the one who coined the word biophilia- meaning “life-loving” (Callicott). His thesis was that human beings have “a deep, inbred psychological need for physical contact with a broad variety of other life forms” (Callicott). Wilson’s idea is closely related to biodiversity, a subject he brought into the public’s eye as editor of the book //Biodiversity//, published in 1988. Wilson asserts that biodiversity provides not only material resources, such things as medicines and genes, but also aesthetic and psychological resources vital to the human being (Callicott). With a sense of urgency, he draws attention to the accelerating loss of plant and animal species caused by the exponentially growing human population. Through his book, //Biodiversity//, Wilson creates a logical framework for evaluating the problem and searching for possible solutions (Weikart).

Work Cited Callicott, J. Baird. "Biophilia." //Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics//. Ed. Carl Mitcham. Vol. 1. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 213-215. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. ([])

** Protecting **Biodiversity []

Weikart, Richard. "Edward Osborne Wilson." //Science and Its Times//. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 7: 1950 to Present. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 172-173. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. ([])