Ronald Hepburn and the humanising of Environmental Aesthetics

摘要

A central problem in the case for environmental aesthetics as a field of endeavour important to environmental philosophy has been the perceived role of aesthetics as irredeemably anthropocentric. Any talk of the aesthetic appreciation of nature is viewed by some as inevitably skewed in an ethically dubious direction. On this view aesthetic appreciation is seen as just one more 'use value' related to preserved nature along with, for example, the opportunity for healthy exercise or as a cache of undiscovered medicines. Though less obvious than sustainable timber from trees or fish to eat from well managed rivers aesthetics is still seen as buying into a 'use value' mentality.