The Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature [Paperback]

The aesthetics of nature has over the last few decades become an intense focus of philosophical reflection, as it has been ever more widely recognized that it is not a mere appendage to the aesthetics of art. Everyone delights in the beauty of flowers, and some are thrilled by the immensity of mountains or of the night sky. But what is involved in serious aesthetic appreciation of the natural world?
Malcolm Budd presents four interlinked studies in the aesthetics of nature, approaching the subject from a variety of angles. As well as developing Budd's own original ideas, the book provides a comprehensive treatment of Kant's classic aesthetics of nature, and an encyclopedic critical survey of recent literature on the subject.

1. The Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature as Nature
2. Kant's Aesthetics of Nature
3. Art, Nature, Aesthetic Properties, and Aesthetic Value
4. The Aesthetics of Nature: A Survey

A substantial study of the aesthetics of nature. The book has the virtue of serving as an introduction to the uninitiated while deepening the interest of the converted and will be of interest to anyone working in the field of aesthetics. --Fiona Hughes,Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

In a series of elegant and forcefully argued essays published over the last ten years, Malcolm Budd has explored various philosophical dimensions of the aesthetics of nature.The Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature, which collects these writings, makes evident the scope and significance of this body of work...A volume whose brevity belies the scope and depth of its ideas...most highly recommended. --Glenn Parsons,Mind