约翰·缪尔的自然审美思想论析

On John Muir’s Natural Aesthetic Thoughts

西方对自然的关注和欣赏远少于艺术,直至18世纪才真正开始有了对自然的美学认知。早期的自然审美欣赏模式几乎完全依赖艺术模式,先将自然具体化、对象化为风景画作,再欣赏图画景致。这种图画式欣赏模式造就了如画自然的审美偏好,人们普遍着迷于优美风景,却忽视其他"风景不优美的"自然部分。但是,自然不是艺术,以欣赏艺术的方式欣赏自然忽略了自然的多样性,不关注自然传递自我的多样方式,因此难以触及全部自然的美丽景致。缪尔认为恰当的自然审美不应局限在视觉上的如画自然,而是要涉及整个自然世界,从自然本身出发欣赏自然,发掘自然的审美价值。缪尔相信一切自然都是美的。他尝试让美学走进自然,赞成人对自然的睿智参与,在参与自然中点燃自然的审美属性。同时,他以积极的态度审美自然,找寻自然的肯定性审美特征。缪尔以亲身经历形成了独特的自然审美思想,主张无偏私的审美欣赏和参与式的审美体验,并对自然作出积极的审美判断。

In Western world,more attention has been paid to nature than to art.It was not until the 18th century that people have had aesthetic cognition on nature.Early aesthetic appreciation of nature depended highly on art appreciation by materializing and objectifying nature as landscape paintings.This pattern of pictorial appreciation leads to an aesthetic preference for picturesque nature.People are obsessed with scenic beauty,while neglecting other“scenically challenged”parts of nature.But nature is not art.Appreciating nature in the way of appreciating art ignores the diversity of nature because it pays little attention to the various ways in which nature conveys itself,which makes it difficult to touch the beauty of the whole natural world.John Muir contended appropriate aesthetic appreciation of nature should not be limited to the picturesque nature at the level of visual sense,but involve the whole natural world.First appreciate nature on its own terms,then explore aesthetic value of nature.Muir believed that the whole natural world is beautiful.He tried to introduce aesthetics to the appreciation of nature,and advocate the wise human participation in nature which set off the aesthetic attributes of nature.In the meantime,he aesthetically appreciated nature with a positive attitude,expecting to find positive aesthetic characteristics of nature.Based on his experiences in the mountains,Muir has formed unique natural aesthetic thoughts:disinterested aesthetic appreciation,participatory aesthetic experience and positive aesthetic judgement on nature as well.