Product Description

The aesthetics of nature has over the last few decades become an intense focus of philosophical reflection, as it has been ever more widely recognised that it is not a mere appendage to the aesthetics of art. Just as nature offers aesthetic experiences beyond the reach of art, so the aesthetics of nature raises issues not contained within the philosophy of art. Malcolm Budd presents four interlinked essays addressing all the main problems about the aesthetics of nature. These include: how the aesthetic appreciation of nature should be understood; the character of an aesthetic response to nature; what kinds of aesthetic experience nature affords and what kinds of aesthetic judgement it is amenable to; the aesthetic significance of intrusions by humanity into nature; whether aesthetic judgements about nature can be objectively true; the doctrine of positive aesthetics with respect to nature; the aesthetic significance of knowledge of nature and in particular whether scientific knowledge is necessary for serious aesthetic appreciation of nature; and the correct model for the appropriate aesthetic appreciation of nature. The Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature also includes a comprehensive exposition and examination of the thoughts of the greatest philosopher to make a substantial contribution to the subject, Immanuel Kant, and an encyclopaedic critical survey of much of the most significant recent literature. Scholars and students of aesthetics will find valuable resources here, and much to think about.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1052045 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 179 pages

Review
Malcolm Budd, one of the most impressive contemporary aestheticians, has produced what will surely be a highly influential book on the subject. (M. A. Proudfoot, Times Literary Supplement )

Customer Reviews

Beyond the materialist view of nature
The Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature by Malcolm Budd, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2002, 164 ff.

Beyond the materialist view of nature

Understanding deepens aesthetic experience; but knowing that water is H2O does nothing to deepen our appreciation of a brook or waterfall or snowflake. Aesthetic appreciation of a painting of a scene is only partly appreciation of the scene itself and mostly of the skill of the artist in representing it. Our analysis of a Beethoven symphony or exploration of Blake's use of imagery will heighten our appreciation and admiration of both the artist and his work, but there remains an aesthetic dimension that rationalist reductionism can never interpret.

Aesthetic judgement involves both an active intellectual understanding of the material properties of an object and its numinous qualities that demand a passive sensibility to qualities that move the soul.

Nearly half of this book is taken up with a critique of Kant's aesthetics of nature. Budd supports Kant's view of the sublime in nature, but takes issue with his association of sublimity with infinity and with his account of the role of the imagination in the experience of the sublime. Budd discusses the difference between Kant's two forms of the sublime - the mathematically sublime, `which is concerned with the immensity of nature in its extent', and the dynamically sublime, `which is concerned with the immense power of nature'. There is also discussion of the author's and Kant's views of the nature of beauty.

This book, comprising four interlinked essays, makes demands on the intellectual focus of the reader, and some familiarity with the philosophy of Immanuel Kant is a decided advantage before tackling it. Its main thrust lies in its treatment of the distinction between aesthetic appreciation of art and the aesthetic appreciation of nature. There is a survey of the relevant literature and a good index.

Dr Howard A. Jones is the author of The Thoughtful Guide to God (2006) and The Tao of Holism (2008), both published by O Books (John Hunt Publishing) of Winchester, UK.