English

Noun

biophilia ‎(uncountable)

1. (obsolete, rare) Hypochondria.
   • 1857, John M. Galloway, General and Special Therapeutics of Mental Diseases and Psychical Disorders Compiled and Edited According to Homeopathic Principals, volume 3, 3^rd edition, Manchester: Henry Turner, translation of original by Gottlieb Heinrich Georg Jahr, page 287:

     HYPOCHONDRIASIS, SOLICITUDE ABOUT THE HEALTH, HYPOCHONDRIA. Melancholia. Hypochondriaca. Biophilia. §63. 1. Descriptions of the disease.

2. (psychology) The biological drive to preserve oneself; love of life.
   • 1892, Daniel Hack Tuke, editor, A Dictionary of Psychological Medicine: Giving the Definition, Etymology and Synonyms of the Terms Used in Medical Psychology with the Symptoms, Treatment, and Pathology of Insanity and the Law of Lunacy in Great Britain and Ireland, volume 1, London: J. & A. Churchill, page 135:

     Biophilia (βίος, life; φιλία, love). The instinct of self-preservation common to man and the lower animals.

3. The love of or empathy with nature and all living things.
   • 1979, E. O. Wilson, New York Times Saturday Review of Books and Art, volume 84, page xxxii:

     Our deepest needs stem from ancient and still poorly understood biological adaptations. Among them is biophilia: the rich, natural pleasure that comes from being surrounded by living organisms, not just other human beings but a diversity of ...

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