Overview

This handbook provides the first comprehensive overview of philosophical thinking about the aesthetics of the natural and human-made environments, exploring the topic's foundations, key ideas, and current debates. Throughout history and across cultures, people's perceptions of beauty and ugliness in their surroundings have been an important part of the human experience. This volume contains more than 30 contributions from leading scholars examining environmental appreciation from a variety of perspectives. Chapters cover a wide range of environments and issues, including the aesthetics of animals, natural sounds, gardens, the urban environment, and the relation between aesthetics and environmentalism. It also explores new topics such as the appreciation of nature in ancient thought, love of place, the traditional nature aesthetics of China and Japan, and the aesthetics of climate change. The Routledge Handbook of Nature and Environmental Aesthetics will be essential reading for students and scholars working on the aesthetics of environment, as well as anyone who wants to think deeply about environmental beauty. Scholars working in related fields outside academic philosophy, such as geography, landscape studies, environmental psychology, and environmental studies will also find it an invaluable guide to contemporary debates.

Full Product Details

Author:   Glenn Parsons ,  Ned Hettinger ,  Sandra Shapshay
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.940kg
ISBN:  

9781032298221

ISBN 10:   1032298227
Pages:   404
Publication Date:   19 September 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Introduction I. Historical Perspectives on the Aesthetics of Nature 2. Ancient Attitudes 3. Kant on the Aesthetics of Nature 4. Nature Aesthetics in the 19th Century 5. The Beauty of Nature in Western Art and Letters 6. Nature Aesthetics in Traditional Chinese Thought 7. Japanese Aesthetics of Nature II. Contemporary Approaches to Nature Appreciation 8. The Aesthetics of Engagement 9. Science and Nature Appreciation 10. Formalism 11. Phenomenology 12. Pluralism 13. Contemporary Chinese Ecoaesthetics 14. Empirical Psychology, Evolution, and Environmental Aesthetics 15. Environmental Philosophy and Aesthetic Experience of Nature III. Issues and Topics 16. Natural Sounds and Environmental Aesthetics 17. Positive Aesthetics and Ugliness 18. The Aesthetics of Animals 19. Awe, Wonder, and the Sublime 20. The Picturesque 21. Beauty and Love of Place IV. The Aesthetics of Human Environments 22. Aesthetics of the Rural Landscape 23. Gardens 24. Aesthetics of Architecture and Urban Environments 25. Aesthetic Experiences of Care Affect Landscape Sustainability 26. Monuments and Ruins 27. Environmental Art V. Environmentalism and Aesthetics 28. Aesthetics and Environmental Protection 29. Justice and the Wilderness Aesthetic 30. Aesthetics of Nature Restoration and Rewilding 31. Tourism, Biodiversity, and Aesthetics 32. Aesthetics and Climate Change in the Anthropocene

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Author Information

Glenn Parsons is Professor of Philosophy at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he writes on the aesthetics of nature, design, and human beauty. He is the author of Functional Beauty (with Allen Carlson, 2008), The Philosophy of Design (2015), and Aesthetics & Nature (2024). Ned Hettinger is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the College of Charleston. His specialization is environmental philosophy, including environmental ethics, environmental aesthetics, and animal ethics. His papers have appeared in Philosophy and Public Affairs, Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, Environmental Ethics, Environmental Values, and the Journal of Aesthetic Education. Sandra Shapshay is Professor of Philosophy at CUNY. Co-editor of the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, her research focuses on intersections of aesthetics, ethics, and politics. Publications include: “What Is the Monumental?” JAAC (2021) and “A Two-Tiered Theory of the Sublime” BJA (2021).

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