Encountering Nature Toward an Environmental Culture

About this book

This book argues that an attentive encounter with nature is of key importance for the development of an environmentally appropriate culture. The fundamental idea is that the environmental degradation that we are increasingly experiencing is best conceived as the consequence of a cultural mismatch: our cultures seem not to be appropriate to the natural environment in which we move and in on which we depend in thoroughgoing ways. In addressing this problem, Thomas Heyd weaves together a rich tapestry of perspectives on human interactions with the natural world, ranging from traditional modes of managing human communities that include the natural environment, in Latin America, to the consideration of poetic travelogues, ecological restoration and botanic gardens.

Contents

Foreword; Preface; Introduction; Part I Environmental Conscience: The case for environmental morality; Environmental ethics in the workplace: a call to action; Environment and culture in Latin America: community, autonomy and resistance. Part II Appreciating Nature: Aesthetic appreciation and the many stories about nature; Basho and wandering aesthetics: recuperating space, recognizing place, following the ways of the universe; Rock art and the aesthetic appreciation of natural landscapes; After mining: reflections on reclamation through art. Part III Culture and Nature: Nature, culture, and natural heritage: toward a culture of nature; Northern plains boulder structures: art and heterotopias; Nature restoration without dissimulation: learning from Japanese gardens and earthworks; Botanic gardens as collaboration between humans and nature; Afterword: enabling an environmental culture; Index.

Customer Reviews

Biography

Thomas Heyd is a Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Victoria, Canada.