De angst voor emotie: Kennis over emotie kan natuurbeheer rationeler maken

Conservationists are hesitant to give human emotion a place in debates and analyses that anticipate decision making. This tendency builds on a longstanding idea in western culture: juxtaposing emotion and reason. Emotion, then, would deviate from the preferred rational path. However, the juxtaposition assertion rests on a logical fallacy and contradicts contemporary science of emotion. Moreover, thinking about emotion does not make thought emotional, as conservationists fear. Emotion is crucial to define the focus and goal of rational thought – i.e. something that matters to us. And human emotion is an important factor influencing support for nature conservation. Including knowledge about emotion, just like including knowledge about any other phenomenon of relevance, would make decision making in conservation more rational. Focusing on emotional dispositions (stable emotional connections) rather than emotional responses (momentary emotional states) would foster such analysis. After all, emotional connections with nature are the rock bottom of conservation.