The Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature

Books reviewed:
Malcolm Budd, The Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature , Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2002, 158 pp. No price. Reviewed by Colin Lyas, University of Lancaster Furness College Bailrigg Lancaster LA1 4YG     

Xujing (Emptiness and Stillness) in Daoism,Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature,and Environmental Ethics

In this article,I will examine the concept of xujing虛靜 (emptiness and stillness) in Daoism and its relationship with the aesthetic appreciation of nature and environmental ethics.Firstly,I will examine the Chinese philosophical understanding of nature through the concept of qi.I point out that qi is characterized by four interrelated features,which are emptiness,creativity,vitality,and stillness.Xujing are also aesthetically appreciated as the objective features of qi.Secondly,I will discuss why,as the objective features of qi,xujing are considered to be features that have aesthetic value.I argue that empathy is the reason why emptiness as the objective feature of qi is regarded as having aesthetic value.Thirdly,I will discuss how the aesthetic concept of emptiness helps contribute to the construction of place-based environmental ethics.     

Two-Year-Olds' Appreciation of the Shared Nature of Novel Object Labels

Two-year-olds' appreciation of the shared nature of object labels versus object preferences was examined in 2 studies. A total of 128 24- to 27-month-olds played a finding game with an experimenter during which they were taught a piece of information about a target object in a nonostensive learning context. In Experiment 1, children were presented with a cue signaling the referent of a novel label. In Experiment 2, children were presented with a cue signaling the experimenter's preference for a particular object. Results indicate children appreciate that knowledge of an object's label is shared between 2 different individuals, but object preferences are not.     

Towards a Medical Aesthetic and its Performative Nature

Beyond the techniques and instruments it employs, medicine has an intrinsic value that enables it to be interpretative, dramatic, and above all, real. In this essay, the aesthetic that emerges through the medical examination is thoroughly discussed. The piece deconstructs the qualities of the medical examination in a manner that facilitates medical practice to be perceived as an art form. The signifiers found in a medical diagnosis and its aesthetic consequences are reviewed. The nature of the diagnosis positions medical practice as a dramatic art.     

A Technology of Aesthetic Appreciation: Tweaking the Reinforcing Potency of Synergetic Events

The Psychological Record - Despite an extensive history of serviceable analyses of behavior–environment conditions arranged by artists to elicit aesthetic experience, unforeseen...     

自然、文化和自然遗产：走向自然之文化

人们常把自然和文化看作是对立的。按这一看法,自然因为文化的发展或作用而逐渐衰落。人们需要根据“文化景观”的概念,对这两个术语间的关系进行新的分析。通过分析认识到,即使承认文化结构的创建作用,也可把自然视为是一重要的、独特的范畴。谈论并且追求自然的文化是明智的,所以人们不必把文化和自然考虑成彼此对立的,这些思考对自然遗产的保护具有重要的意义。