Environmental Aesthetics

Environmental aesthetics today harbours a wide range of perspectives, and crosses several commonly recognized divides: between analytic and continental philosophy, Eastern and Western traditions, universalizing and historicizing approaches, and theoretical and practical concerns. This volume sets out to show how these perspectives can be brought into conversation with one another. The first part gives a clear survey of the development of the field, and discusses some important future directions for environmental aesthetics. It points to new topics, such as the inclusion of everyday artifacts, human activities, and social relations. Moreover it argues environmental aesthetics to close the gap between the overreaching universalism of the (analytic) majority strand of environmental aesthetics and the cultural-historicism of the (continental) minority strand. The second part explains how widening the scope of environmental aesthetics demands a continual rethinking of the relationship between aesthetics and other fields. How does environmental aesthetics relate to ethics? Does aesthetic appreciation of the environmental entail an attitude of respect? And what is the relationship between the theory and practice? The third part is devoted to the relationship between aesthetics of nature and aesthetics of art. To what extend can art help inform our "environmental imagination"? Can art help "save the earth"? The final part illustrates the emergence of practical applications from theoretical studies, and focus on concrete case studies. It shows how Kant's and Dewey's aesthetic can be used to defend the beauty of wind farms. And shouldn't we, besides learning to "think like a mountain" (Aldo Leopold) also learn "to think like a mall". And finally, how can an aesthetic appreciation for wild animals be understood?