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Abstract
Man's sensory mechanisms evolved by natural selection in natural settings and humans survived as a species not so much by the "club in the hand" but by the "plan in the head." That plan or ability enabled man to remember, interpret, and predict environmental events. Humans have an innate capacity (but not necessarily a developed ability) to find most natural stimuli compatible with their psychiological makeup. Many urban people do not have the familiarity and experiences necessary for them to be comfortable in natural environments, and therefore cannot enjoy fully one of their "human natures." Opportunities to discover and rediscover innate human natures should be encouraged.
Parent Publication
Citation
Driver, B. L.; Greene, Peter. 1977. Man''s nature: innate determinants of response to natural environments. In: Children, Nature, and the Urban Environment: Proceedings of a Symposium-Fair; Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-30. Upper Darby, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 62-70
