Aesthetics and the Environment The Appreciation of Nature, Art and Architecture

Aesthetics and the Environment: The Appreciation of Nature, Art and Architecture presents fresh and fascinating insights into our interpretation of the environment. Although traditional aesthetics is often associated with the appreciation of art, Allen Carlson shows how much of our aesthetic experience does not encompass art but nature, in our response to sunsets, mountains or horizons or more mundane surroundings, like gardens or the view from our window. He demonstrates that, unlike works of art, natural and ordinary human environments are neither self-contained aesthetic objects nor specifically designed for convenient aesthetic consumption. On the contrary, our environments are ever present, constantly engaging our senses and Carlson offers a thought-provoking and lucid investigation of what this means for our appreciation of the world around us. He argues that knowledge of what it is we are appreciating is essential to having an appropriate aesthetic experience and that scientific understanding of nature can enhance our appreciation of it, rather than denigrate it. Aesthetics and the Environment also shows how ethical and aesthetic values are closely linked, proving that aesthetic appreciation of natural and human environments has objective grounding, while also exploring the important links between ecology and the aesthetic experience of nature. This book will be essential reading for all those involved in environmental studies and aesthetics and all who are interested in the controversial relationship between science and nature.Carlson, Allen is the author of 'Aesthetics and the Environment The Appreciation of Nature, Art and Architecture' with ISBN 9780415301053 and ISBN 041530105X.