biophobia
n. a human fear of certain species (e.g., snakes, spiders) and general aversion to nature that creates an urge to affiliate with technology and other human artifacts, interests, and constructions rather than with animals, landscapes, and other elements of the natural world. Such fear is seen in many populations throughout the world, a pervasiveness that U.S. biologist Edward O. Wilson (1929– ) and others consider indicative of its innateness. U.S. ecologist David W. Orr, however, emphasizes that biophobia is culturally acquired, a product of modern living that distances people from the natural world to such a degree that they become indifferent to other organisms and antagonistic toward the environment. Compare biophilia.