The Eye Animal

The relationship between humans and nature has been a long-standing challenge.

French anthropologist Lévi-Strauss suggests that this may be due to the fact that the human mind is anchored in the functioning of the brain, which filters elements from the environment through patterns that reflect their contradictions and symmetries in relation to human cognition.

If perception is filtered through cognitive patterns, how do humans relate to their environment and nature?

Danish biologist and naturalist Anders Kofoed suggests that humans often try to categorize things, but nature does not conform to human-made boxes.

“It is crucial to remember that humans are not created to fit into societal boxes, but into the natural system”.

Anders Koefoed: ”Mening med livet - Menneskedyret fra fødsel til død – og lidt efter”. Lindhardt og Ringhof, 2021.

German forester and author Peter Wohlleben highlights that humans are an Eye Animal and rely heavily on sight, which can limit their understanding of intangible concepts like micro-relationships and temporality. Trees, for example, are incredibly slow compared to human life cycles, which makes them difficult to understand.