再次对话当代环境美学家阿诺德·柏林特

A Second Dialogue with Arnold Berleant

"以自然本身的要求(或本然样态)欣赏自然"是环境美学的一个重要主题,在具体理解中又各有差异。有的学者强调内在感知——自然的可感性,有的强调对自然的敬意。相应地,有的学者认为科学知识或民俗学对于恰当地欣赏自然而言必不可少,有的学者认为所有的知识都必须排除在外。人与自然的关系是中西美学共同关注的另一重要主题,中国园林作为这一主题的理想承载者,以及作为自然与居所的完美融合,不仅可为当代西方、同时也可为当今中国的环境设计提供某些有益的启示。

Appreciating nature on its own terms is a critical topic in environmental aesthetics. But different people always have different understandings about it. Some scholars focus on the intrinsic features of the experi- ence-on the sensible features of nature, while other scholars focus on the respect to nature. Correspondingly, some scholars propose that scientific knowledge or folklores are essential for the appropriate appreciation of na- ture, while other scholars insisted all kinds of knowledge must be excluded. The relationship of human and nature is another important theme in environmental aesthetics. Chinese gardens are the perfect examples which fuse both the natural and the human, and it might be able to make a contribution to contemporary environmental design both in west and in China.