谈构建风景园林新自然观的重要性

著：（丹麦）斯蒂格·L.安德森 译：贾绿媛 校：王晞月

当前世界环境的状况令人深感忧虑，持续沿袭现有的路径只会导致情况不断恶化。为求实质性的改善，我们必须调整固有的关注焦点和对待自然的观念，唯有从本体论层面进行根本性的变革，方能引领我们迈向崭新的未来。

在我看来，有2个核心因素阻碍了我们依据人类本性和自由意志做出决策。首先，人们忽视了一个事实，那就是我们自身也是自然的一部分。其次，我们未能充分考虑到历史经验和自然观的重要性。很重要的一点是，对自然的美学感知有助于人们理解“我们是自然的一部分”。若欠缺这种美学感知，人们将难以完全理解我们的本质是自然的一部分。若缺乏积极的思维模式，我们也无法从本质上改变我们的生活方式和社会环境，可见此举不可或缺。若想改变我们的习惯、生活方式以及周围的环境，就必须从改变我们的观念开始。

现阶段人们仍受限于一种较为陈旧的自然观念。为了能够充分理解并承认人与自然的紧密联系，以及寻求与自然的和谐共存之道，我们必须认识到当代的自然哲学是不可或缺的。令人费解的是，近几代人对于发展当代自然哲学并不热衷。在欧洲，人们对自然的理解仍然停留在几个世纪前的陈旧观念，即真正的自然被视为“未经开化的荒芜之地”。这种观念严重影响了我们对自然原生性、真实性和根据自我意志驯化自然的认知。而这个时代应倡导的是一种实用主义的自然哲学，其中涵盖了在我们的社会、生活和日常关系中被定义为美学、自然规律、伦理和自由的各个方面。

认可自然界的平等，以及承认自然界是整体而非割裂的，可以帮助我们摒弃一种常见的错误观念，即人类处于自然界之外，并凌驾于自然界之上。我们急需一种新的自然哲学，这种哲学一方面是以批判性思维对自然科学的思考，另一方面又强调关注现代语境下的生命观，也就是，我们是否与蝴蝶、蓟花或云朵一样，都是自然的一部分。

我们可以回溯至19世纪德国文艺复兴时期的一位杰出人物——亚历山大·冯·洪堡（Alexander von Humboldt）。他不仅是一位博学多才的自然科学家，同时对社会科学领域也有着独到的见解。洪堡强调，社会结构、政治、气候和植物等各方面都是相互关联的。然而，在当时，公认的自然科学研究方法是根据学科进行划分，将相互关联的系统割裂成不同的学科，如动物学、占星学、植物学或地质学。这种做法导致人们对于自然界相互关联的感知和理解有所弱化，而综合认知世界的思想则被视为异类。科学的职责似乎并非发现事物之间的关联性，而是通过编目和分级分类来描述现象，以此探求自然界的秩序和准则。

当人们感受到被自然所接纳时，会认识到一些看似理性的世界秩序不过是一种意识形态的幻象。

自然的美感是独立于理性框架之外的主观感受，这似乎在挑战西方世界普遍的理性秩序。事实确实如此，因为这一秩序现阶段并未充分容纳“美学”的概念。当理性的空间稍有扩张，它就会毫无疑虑地占据这一空间。然而，许多理性的世界秩序更大程度是一种人为创造的产物，而非现实的客观映射。理性的世界秩序在一定程度上对构建自由的、人与自然和谐共生的社会生活形成了阻碍。仅仅依赖理性论证、科学实证或技术手段是难以实现向气候友好型和可持续性发展的转变的，而认知观念的转变是决定性的。

当人被自然的美所拥抱时，内心会充满喜悦、轻松和温暖的感知体验；自然也会让人感受到寒冷、起鸡皮疙瘩或寒战。然而无论是什么样的感觉，都会使人整个身体感受到放松和充满生机，更真实地感觉到自己身体的存在，人会天生地被这种自然的体验感动。然而，这种喜好并非源自兴趣，而更像是人类基本需求的一种体现。若无法满足这一需求，人的精神状态将受到一定的负面影响，呈现出萎靡不振和疾病的状态，甚至抑郁、愤怒、好斗、怀疑、自私、固执等负面情绪。这种对自然的感知或许带有不确定性，但诸多的经验都告诉我们，只有通过获得这种与自然亲近的感觉，才能感受到充满生命的活力和自由，才能从更广阔的视角去观察世界。因此，美学体验是一种修养，一种通过自然界的视角、感官和思想来认知世界的经验。这种修养不仅能促使我们拥有更完整的人格，还能进一步提升人的道德认知水平。

在无助的情绪占据主导时，会扩大社会中的不确定性以及质疑、焦虑和恐惧的情绪。

如今我们所面对的自然环境已遭受了极大的破坏，生物多样性持续下降，土壤质量受到严重威胁，水污染和空气污染在持续加剧，自然资源的消耗速度已超过其修复速度。这样的自然环境已难以让人们感受到它的美感，因此也难以支撑人与自然的和谐关系。而当人们无法欣赏自然本真的美时，便难以获取赖以生存的生命之源，同时也削弱了建立人类社会共同体的内在动力，进而削弱了人类文明的发展进程。尽管自然灾害可以从精神和肉体上摧毁我们的家园、基础设施，甚至整个城市，但它也唤醒了我们内心深处共同想要改变现状的强大动力。不过，在现在社会语境下，人们似乎更容易受到某个人的影响，而很难认识到某个事物的重要性，除非将其人格化。人类对于地球的重要性是毋庸置疑的，但对于这种观念过分的偏执也阻碍了人们思考并寻找可行的发展路径。资本主义的现实和生活方式已深入人们的日常生活，以至于现阶段难以找到一个可行或令人信服的替代方案来追求更“理想”的生活，不仅是对人自身生活质量的追求，更是对所有生命的尊重和保护。

根据牛顿第一定律，只有当受到更大的合外力作用时，运动的物体才会改变其原有运动轨迹。那么，我们如何引导社会关系才能够激发推动自然观变革的源动力呢？尽管我们可以批判性地审视资本主义的现实并指出其局限性，但这并不足以实现真正的改变。如果缺乏认知的转变，将无法实现对所批判事物的改变。正如西方文化发展历程所呈现的，仅仅通过忏悔和自我批评以及批判社会，然后草率地得出一个结论并将其归为“事情本就是这样”的假设，是不足以解决问题的。如果我们花费过多的时间沉浸于去寻找问题所在，而不是快速采取措施从根本上预防问题的发生，那么最终会在不断接受现实中说服自己“无论怎样我们都无能为力”。这是面对环境现实的一种无助的表现，一种人类自我设限的弱点，进而会扩大社会中质疑、焦虑和恐惧的情绪。

在能够拥有身临其境的自然体验时，人们才会真正有意愿推动改变的发生。自然的美能够转变“人们更倾向于围绕某些人而不是某个问题而达成共识”的社会情境。

自然并非拥有神奇的魔力，也并非只存在于我们远观的风景之中，而是具有包容性的实体。只有在人们接纳自然并允许自己成为其中的一部分时，才能开始理解人对自然最原始的依赖。人无法选择是否成为自然的一部分，虽然我们可以从认知上将自然视为与人类分离的对象来与之相对抗，但是如果我们放弃这种对抗，并充分认识到自然美学的价值，便能理解自然体验能够给予人的多重意义，同时这也是人类与生俱来需要与他人分享的。人的本质是社会性的，当社会凝聚力遭到破坏时，人们会感受到焦虑、不适和孤独。在自然中，每个个体能够平等地相遇，因此自然可能是维系人类社会关系的最佳场所。自然之美赋予人们一种社会归属感，让彼此能够相互分享经验、感受和思想的共鸣。

在面对气候、生物多样性和资源危机等紧急情况时，真实感对于人们做出正确的判断和决策至关重要。即使依托于科学证据，可能也难以动员足够的社会力量来实现人类的共同需求并做出相应的决策。气候危机是一场迫在眉睫的挑战，尽管已有大量的证据和事实论述，但仍然无法唤起足够多的人积极采取行动以改变现状。这是否是因为我们对于气候危机带来的后果缺乏想象力和感知力呢？当洪堡认识到世界上一切事物的相互关联性时，他认为人们利用自然资源、改造自然过程的方式，会对我们的生活质量产生全面而深远的影响。然而，当时只有少数人赞同这一观点，在200年后世界才意识到他所提出的观念已经成为现实。我们必须承担起所处时代的道德责任，对我们的行为造成的后果负责，转变我们对自然的认知和生活方式，以应对未来的现实挑战。

我们亟须转变社会主流的自然观，充分接纳并尊重自然的整体性，包括那些在人们眼中看似不尽美观或不尽宜人的部分。人们应该充分认识到，这些看似不完美的部分实际上是自然不可或缺的一部分，它们共同构成了我们赖以生存的绿色世界。

在历史长河中，人类已经习惯于试图驯化自然，只接受那些符合既定认知的事物。然而，那些使人们不愿与自然建立关系的部分，那些看似危险、黑暗、充满未知与威胁，或荒芜杂乱、或恶臭黏腻、或细菌丛生的部分，本质上也是自然的一部分。数百年来，人一直在试图驾驭自然，然而自然却不再受限于人的意志。在过去的几个世纪里，人们的生活方式导致了地球资源毫无节制地被消耗，破坏了环境的生命基础，严重影响了自然的平衡。在西方文化语境中，自由的概念使人们将自然不断理想化，将其视为供人们娱乐和消遣的对象。然而，我们必须以清醒的视角看待现实，在感受花香，欣赏作物摇曳在没有任何杂草、害虫和入侵物种的田地里时，也要正视农业活动对环境造成的破坏以及单一种植的转基因麦田中氮污染水源渗出等问题。

人为制造的需求掩盖了人们对自然美的需求以及与自然进行深入对话的需求，这些需求使人受困于紧张和焦虑的情绪，并将注意力从自然的原生美转移到被剥夺了自由意志的自然之上。这种被高强度人工管控的自然呈现于我们面前的，是被污染的水、土壤和空气，被控制的气候和支离破碎的生态系统，它们所展示的并非自然原生之美，而是人类掠夺行为背后的残酷现实。这里所说的被剥夺了自由的自然，是指自然被视为一种仅为了满足人自身利益而存在的资源。自由状态下的自然则完全不同，它有着自己的意愿，没有具体的目的和目标，因此跟随其本质属性而无拘束地发展演替，不会成为人类利益的牺牲品。

当下我们急需一批能够解放自然伦理的实践，而这需要唤醒主流认知下对自然美学的感知。它能够帮助我们逐渐接近理想的人与自然和谐共生的绿色世界，这种绿色世界的构想能够为自然之美的基本需求提供充足的空间，反之也促使人们在道德行为上进行自我约束。也许，未来在人类认知与生活方式的转变中，一个生态社会将逐渐取代经济社会。

人对自然的掠夺和忽视是危机的肇始。

在与自然共处的过程中，人们会深刻感受到自然的恩赐与美好。这不仅源于自然的资源效用价值，更源于它的美学价值，人在体验自然时所感受到的愉悦和舒适是毋庸置疑的，但这却时常被人们所忽视。对自然美学价值的忽视以及自然审美与感知能力的缺失，是阻碍我们改变现状的重要因素。

在自然的环境中，人们能够获得自由和宁静的情绪，日常生活的紧张与焦虑也能够得到缓解，思维变得更加自由流畅。在这样的情境中，人们的意识和认知得以充分交织；然而，当人们在日常生活中缺乏自然的陪伴时，便失去了与世界真实性的联系，因此可以说自然是人类所有其他价值的根本来源。正如山体以坚实的基石固定在大地上一样，自然也是一种根基，其他一切都源自于此，并根植于此。人类并不需要创造新自然，但需要推动这一过程，新的自然过程能够自行发展演进。这如同深植于大地深处的山体，随着时间的推移，它自然而然地发生着改变，并不受我们的意志控制。在这个意义上，新的自然观并不属于艺术的范畴。艺术意味着一种幻象、一个概念或一种场景，需要我们去观赏、体验和感受，而新自然的存在无须我们去过多关注。

新自然与艺术在本质上是相通的，它们都蕴含着一颗种子，从中可以萌发出更理想的生活方式和更美好的世界。

一方面，我们正在为之构建框架的自然观，本质上也是一件逐渐成形的艺术品；另一方面，新自然是能够自由生长和发展演进的，这与伊曼纽尔·康德（Immanuel Kant）对自然概念的定义是一致的。因此，新自然观既包含自然，也囊括艺术。

在康德对自然的美学体验和艺术的美学体验的区分中，崇高性起着至关重要的作用。康德曾解释说，崇高性只能在自然中体验，而不能通过艺术来体验。然而，我对崇高的看法不尽相同，因为自然的美学体验和艺术的美学体验是难以被区分对待的；当涉及作为艺术的新自然观时，它们是相通的。新自然并不是我们按照对艺术的传统理解创造出来的成品，我们仅仅是创造了一个认知框架。这个框架本身的运转过程和自然发展的现象息息相关，这些过程和现象将我们周遭的环境发展成真正的自然，以“康德自然”的方式吸引着我们。

相较于生产一个实体成品，当下的艺术更关注社会关系及其变化过程。在此背景下，艺术以装置为载体进行表达，但这些装置并不等同于雕塑。传统上，雕塑是一个独立的形象体，其形式通常被明确而清晰地界定。雕塑是自我参照性的，可以被移动到不同的地方，不属于任何特定的时间或空间。如果一个雕塑是根据特定空间创作的，那么它就不再是雕塑，而是一种艺术装置。在观察者与雕塑之间，通常存在一个“空间”，但观察者与艺术装置之间不需要存在这样的空间，观察者将成为作品的一部分，通过存在于同一空间来完成作品的表达。这非常类似于在森林中漫步、去感受森林的存在，人们因感受到自然之美而与森林融为一体。新自然观似乎就和艺术装置一样发挥效用，因人的存在而获得多重意义，而人类的存在是自然体验、自然认知和自然美学的起点。当人类不再执着驯化所有的生命，自然便能够按照自己的自由意志自由生长。值得注意的是，我们应如何引导人们参与到构建新自然观中来，以及它如何将人们凝聚在一起并激励公众意识采取行动。不只是坐下来看看，而是去拥抱它，用手去感受树木的纹理，或倾听植物生长的声音，感受自然对人类生活品质的重要价值。通过这种参与和体验，人们可以重新发现自然对人类福祉不可替代的意义。促使我们做出响应的不应是世界濒危物种的名单，而是森林中没有鸟鸣所留下的振聋发聩的寂静。

对自然美学的感知可以被视为人类在认知发展中的一次重要进步。

从康德在1790年对美学概念的哲学分析中可见，美感的体验既依赖于又不完全依赖于认知和伦理的概念，这为我们提供了一个可以深入理解美感体验的哲学框架。即从哲学上理解，美学是一种既涉及美又涉及感官的认知。因此，对自然的真实感受与美感的体验紧密相连，甚至可能先于美感的认知而出现。每个人都一定曾在与大自然的接触中体验过沉浸于自然之美的瞬间，让我们感受到自己与比我们自身更宏大的时空相连：在森林中漫步时，被云雾缭绕的群山环绕时，或在静如明镜的开阔水面上，我们都曾有过如此的体验。这便是对自然美感的认知过程，在这些时刻我们体验到了与自然的亲密关系，这种自然美感体验在人们的意识中留下了深刻的印记。经历过这种美感体验后，我们有了新的认知和理解，这是一个无法论证也无法量化的感知过程，尽管如此，它却是能够与人分享的。这就是美感体验的独特之处，它引领人们进入一个更深刻的认知领域，从而改变了人的思维方式。

在自然中分享感官体验的需求承载着人们审美的共识。

自然美能够引领人们成为一个能够相互分享对自然美学感知的社会性群体。这为我们提供了展开对话、交流思想和探讨感官体验的平台。我们并不需要在此达成一致的观点，或区分对错，而是需要拓展我们的理解和感知。我始终坚信，持续不断的讨论是新时代自然哲学的基础。自然体验的长期缺失会导致人们出现“人类处于中心并凌驾于自然之上”的陈旧自然观，而这种过时的自然观与西方文明长期以来形成的文化背景有密不可分的关系。如今，人们也正受困于自己制造的问题，但我们必须学会与这些问题共存，或者为了改变它们而付诸行动，因为这些问题不会随着时间推移而自行消失。在这样的境况下，自然体验的真实感是一种基本保障，可以防止社会客观条件阻碍公众自然美学意识的觉醒，能够培养出完整而富有创造力的人格，而这样的社会共识有助于我们形成一个更具有开放思想的社会。在感知和体验自然过程时，人们改变和影响我们周围环境的意识和能力都会得到提升。可见，自然是人们健康成长、获得自由和完整人格的必要条件。

人们需要构建新自然观作为感知现实的重要基础。

与他人共享对自然的美学感知和美学体验，这对于促进个人和社会与自然的和谐共生至关重要，也是构建正确的社会主流价值观、约束社会或地方道德准则的基础。对自然的美学感知应是迈向这样一个理想社会的第一步，在这样的环境中每个人都能感受到独立的人格并将自己的自由意志作为生命的核心价值。此外，自然的美学感知和审美体验为扩展该思路提供了可能。对此，汉娜·阿伦特（Hannah Arendt）和伊曼纽尔·康德等哲学家已对此进行过深入探讨。

在试图构建以自然为基础、意识自由而富有意趣的社会的过程中，人们需要彼此分享自然体验。一些人需要在不断地发现自然中美好事物的过程中，找回对美好生活的感知能力，从而获取生命的价值感和获得感。

在彻底远离自然美和自然过程的环境中，在人们认为自然是危险的、应该与之抗争并驾驭其上的认知中，人们反而很难真正地适应自然、融入自然、充分地欣赏并感受自然的无拘无束。因此，人类必须从根本上树立新的自然观念。这种新自然并非人为制造的必需品，而是我们作为拥有完整、健康人格的个体所必需的意识，就像饮用干净的水和呼吸洁净的空气一样。我们的美学需求建立在认知和感受的基础上。当这种需求得不到满足时，人们的认知会发育迟缓，会呈现出沮丧、悲伤、好斗和自私的情绪。自然之美为人们提供了拥有健康心智的基础，并让我们认识到我们实际上是自然及其所有现象和美景的一部分。因此，真正的自然应该存在于我们的生活、工作和休闲的各种空间之中，使更多人获得健康而完整的自然观。

交流和持续的讨论是获得洞察力和采取行动的关键途径。

美感体验的分享是一场无结论的自由对话，不受任何权威掣肘或评判。而基于感官的体验是交流的起点，引领个人走向更深入的认知和洞察。只有当个体与他人分享体验，通过讨论激发创造力，并习惯于以感觉引领认知而非仅依赖理性思维来思考和表达时，美学感知才能更有效地被传递。这种基于审美感知的对话是创造与自然之美紧密相连的生活方式的重要途径。

人们需要从对视觉强刺激的文化中将自己解放出来，更多地体会刺激产生的细腻感受，而不仅仅是关注视觉的、形式的或物质形态本身的表象。感知来自身体的本能，我们不仅应看到的森林中的松树本身，更应该充分认识到我们漫步于松树间身体所产生的感觉。对自然美的真挚体验会给人以崇高感，唤醒人们源自内心的敬畏与惊叹。人们可以充分感受到自由的意识，在其中获得专注于自己生活的力量感，从而平等地尊重所有自然中的生命并与之共荣共生。

（编辑 / 王一兰）

著者简介：

（丹麦）斯蒂格·L.安德森 / 男 / 硕士 / SLA事务所创始人、设计总监 / 哥本哈根大学教授 / 本刊国际编委 / 研究方向为自然美学、城市环境设计理论与实践

译者简介：

贾绿媛 / 女 / 北京林业大学园林学院在读博士研究生 / 研究方向为风景园林规划与设计

校者简介：

王晞月 / 女 / 博士 / 北京林业大学园林学院副教授 / 本刊特约编辑 / 研究方向为风景园林规划与设计、地域景观与生态基础设施

ANDERSSON S L.The Necessity for a New View of Nature[J].Landscape Architecture, 2024, 31(1): 80-88.DOI: 10.3724/j.fjyl.202309080406.

The Necessity for a New View of Nature

Author: (DNK) Stig L.Andersson Translator: JIA Lyuyuan Proofreader: WANG Xiyue

Keywords:aesthetics; new nature; philosophy; climate adaptation; green infrastructure

The world is on fire.Remaining on our current path is beginning to appear more and more absurd.We must shift our focus and our view of nature as real change will only come through a radical shift in our ontological foundations.

As I see it, there are two key factors that inhibit us from being truly free and making decisions based on our own free will.The first factor is the missing knowledge of, and confidence in, thatweare nature.The second factor is our disdain for the past’s experience and view of nature.I see the aesthetic sense of nature as the key to understanding that we are a part of nature.Without an aesthetic sense of nature, we will never fully grasp that we in fact are nature, and we clearly cannot change lifestyles and society radically without thinking in a radical way.To believe that this is not a necessary course of action is not only naïve, but wholly foolish and an expression of arrogance and ignorance.It is impossible to change our habits, our lifestyle, and everything around us while remaining the same within.

We are living with an antiquated view of nature, and in order to grasp the need for a contemporary philosophy towards nature we must acknowledge our inseparable relationship with nature and allow ourselves to flow in unison with it.Curiously, the most recent generations have lacked interest in developing a modern philosophy towards nature.In Europe, the view of nature is still of that which is described in a centuries-old notion of an untouched nature, a notion which has influenced our ideas of originality, authenticity, and the right to subject nature to our will as we see fit.I envision a practical philosophy towards nature which encompasses the aesthetic, natural phenomena, ethics, and freedom as defined in relationships between society, personal life, and every day.

The acknowledgment of equality in nature, of unity instead of division, frees us of the inherited delusion that we stand outside of, and above nature.I can ascertain that there is an urgent need for a new philosophy towards nature that, on the one hand is critical towards the language of natural sciences, and on the other focuses on what it means to live with the modern notion that we are just as much a part of nature as a butterfly, a thistle,or a cloud.

We can begin where Alexander von Humboldt, the 1800’s German renaissance man and natural scientist, left off.Humboldt asserted that societal structures, politics, climate and flora are all interlinked in an age where the accepted method of natural sciences divided this interconnected system into separate disciplines.All known natural phenomena were divided into distinct disciplines such as zoology, astrology,botany, or geology, and the opportunity to perceive and understand the natural world as an interconnected system was shunned and even considered heretical.The duty of science was not to find relationships between things, but rather to describe phenomena through cataloguing and hierarchical categorization as a means of finding order and control over the natural world.

When we feel nature welcoming us, we experience that the rational world order is simply a mirage that stands in the face of a great decline.

The aesthetic sense of nature can only be experienced unconditionally.Unconditionally? That almost sounds like an attack on the entire western world’s rational language and order.And it is!Because the western world order doesn’t allow any space for aesthetics.When others step back and make room, rationality steps forward and occupies the space.However, the rational world order is a constructed experiment, and not a fundamental reality.The rational world order is a hindrance to the formation of a free society and a life in engaged harmony with nature.The transition to more climate friendly and sustainable behaviour will not happen through rational arguments, scientific evidence, or technological discovery.If this was at all possible, it would have happened a long time ago.

When I am embraced by the beauty of nature, it fills me with joy, lightness, and warmth.Nature can even give me chills, goosebumps or shivers and regardless of the feeling nature instil in me, I simply feel better.My whole body relaxes,and aches and pains disappear, and I feel alive again.I can feel that I am fully present and therefore, one could argue, I am particularly interested in this feeling of nature.However, this feeling is not an interest, but more a fundamental necessity and it is detrimental to my mental state if not attained.I can become weak, sometimes ill,depressed, angry, aggressive and sceptical, selfcentred and closed-minded when kept from meeting this fundamental need.This feeling of nature is indefinite, but I simply “must” obtain this feeling in order to sense that I am alive, I am free,and in order to see the world from the viewpoint of other beings.As such, the aesthetic experience is a form of upbringing.An upbringing in seeing the world through the eyes of others, through their senses, and through their thoughts.Such an upbringing not only makes us better people, but also strengthens us all ethically.

蔡元培是我国近现代一位著名的民主革命家、杰出的思想家和伟大的教育家。关于蔡元培先生丰富的大学教育思想，专家学者业已展开了很深入的研究。但这些研究重点关注的是有关其大学理念、大学管理、大学学科和课程建设、大学教师等方面的思想，而没有深入探究蔡元培的大学职能思想。2012年3月，中国社会科学出版社出版了绍兴文理学院教育学院王玉生副教授的专著《蔡元培大学职能思想探析》一书，可以说是该研究领域的开拓性著作。该书是浙江省哲学社会科学规划后期资助课题成果文库之一，共二十三万余字，是一部自成体系的蔡元培大学职能思想的研究专著。

The only things left when helplessness takes control are doubt, anxiety, and fear.

Nature as we see it today is totally ravaged.Biodiversity is on the decline, soil quality is threatened, water and air pollution are on the rise,and our natural resources are being depleted faster than they can be replenished.This version of nature is not conducive to an aesthetic sense of nature, and therefore can not connect people to one another.When the aesthetic sense of nature can not be grasped, we are denied the vital energy we need to thrive and our inner drive to build social communities is weakened.This further diminishes our human culture, which is in the end a much stronger driving force for a good life than that of politics or economics.Even when nature rages against us and natural phenomena, also called disasters, ravage civilization — both mentally and physically destroying homes, infrastructure, and entire cities — it wakes within us a greater motivation to shift course.However, we still see the image of a society that finds it easier rise and rally around “someone” rather than around“something.” As if we can’t understand a thing as important unless we can see it personified.The notion that humanity as the most significant thing on earth impedes us from seeing alternative paths.Our capitalist reality and lifestyle has eliminated all other notions and dreams of “the good life.”Capitalism has become so deeply integrated in everyday life that it has become impossible to find a useful or convincing alternative for a better life.Not just a better life for us, but also a better life for all life.Newton’s 1st law states that only with a combined and greater force is it possible to change direction of an object in motion, otherwise nothing changes, and everything continues as it has.How can we develop the social relations that can promote the creative power necessary to change course? Critically examining the capitalist reality,we can pinpoint mistakes and shortcomings without really doing anything about it.Without sincerity, we fail to change the things we criticize.It is as though a part of our western culture is to apologize, to criticize ourselves and our society,and to come to hasty conclusions all while settling on the assumption that “that’s just the way things are.” We spend more time trying to figure out what went wrong than trying to prevent it from happening in the first place and many people end up convincing themselves that we can’t do anything about it anyways.This is an expression of helplessness; a self-imposed weakness that spreads doubt, scepticism, anxiety, and fear.

When we encounter the presence of nature, we can make decisions that incite real change.The aesthetic sense of nature is the one thing that can triumph over the idea that we can only come together around “someone”and not “something.”

Nature is not magic.It is not a picturesque view to be regarded from a distance.It is inclusive.Only when we allow ourselves to be embraced by it do we begin to understand just how great a need we have for its presence.We do not have a choice as to whether we are a part of nature or not, but we can fight it by considering nature as something separate from humanity.However, if we give up this fight and allow ourselves to be filled with the aesthetic sense of nature, we experience real freedom and that there is something found in nature which is much greater than ourselves.This is something that we have an innate need to share with others.We are social beings and when our social cohesion is destroyed, we are filled with anxiety, discomfort, and loneliness.In nature, we meet as equals, and therefore nature is perhaps the best place to anchor our social relations.The aesthetic sense of nature gives each one of us the feeling of belonging to a social community where we can share our experiences, feelings, and thoughts with one another.

A sense of reality is essential to our ability to navigate and make decisions in critical situations such as climate, biodiversity, and resource crises.Even with scientifically documented evidence, it is impossible to mobilize the societal power necessary to meet the required level of change needed in our overall behaviour.The climate crisis is presented to us as an oncoming disaster that, despite thorough communication, fails to rouse enough people to action.Is it because we as humans can’t possibly imagine such a catastrophe? When Humboldt considered the interconnectedness of everything in the world, he realized that because of the way we manufactured nature, took advantage of its resources and regulated its processes, that we would bring forth all-encompassing problems in terms of our quality of life.However, this point of view was only shared by a few others, and 200 years would pass before the world was confronted with the realization that the notions which he warned against were in fact a reality.We must make it our ethical duty to answer to the consequences of this reality, to change course, and to shift our lifestyle and views of nature as a response to the challenges our self-imposed reality brings upon us.The German society and academy of science excluded Humboldt, as they found his statements about civilization too offensive and dangerous.

We must adjust our view of nature and create space for the whole of nature, including the ugly, the slimy and the smelly parts of nature — all parts of the nature that can be found in our new “shared green world.”

We have become comfortable in a world in which we view nature as something we have domesticated and tamed.We look past and reject anything that doesn’t fit into this constructed image of nature: the imperfect, the gross, the slimy and smelly, the dangerous, the nauseating and bacteriaridden, the virus-infected and sick, the dark and threatening unknowns: all parts of a nature that we don’t want to have anything to do with.We have managed for hundreds of years to suppress nature but is no longer allowing itself to be subjugated to our will.Over centuries, we have greedily consumed the planets resources and justified our actions through our capitalist lifestyles, our notions of power, and our egocentric understanding of freedom and we have thereby destabilized the very foundations for life.The notion of freedom has caused those of us in the western world to idealize nature and thereby consider it as a portrait for our amusement and recreation.We close our eyes,smell the flowers, and happily ignore the havoc wreaked by agriculture and the nitrogen polluted water that seeps through the monocultures of genetically modified wheat fields swaying in the wind, golden and a free from anything considered a weed, pest, or invasive species.

Our need for beauty and a deep dialogue with this beauty is overshadowed by artificially manufactured needs that confuse, stress and divert our focus away from the beauty of nature and towards the grotesque: a nature robbed of freedom.This desecrated nature appears to us as polluted water, soil and air, an altered climate and failing ecosystems which reveal to us not the beauty of nature, but the hideous and disfigured results of humanity’s predatory practices towards nature.What I mean by a nature robbed of its freedom is a nature which we have viewed solely as a resource to be exploited for our gain.A free nature is something radically different.It is a nature after its own will, is without purpose or objective and therefore free and untamed without falling prey to human interests.The ethical practice of freeing nature springs forth from the aesthetic sense of nature.An alternative green world offers a life in harmony and coexistence with a nature that is conceived and created in order to provide ample space for freedom and for the fundamental necessity of natural beauty, which in turn allows us to focus our energy on acting ethically.I imagine an ecological society replacing the economical society.Why does the green movement focus so much on economics instead of transformation of lifestyles?

The deprivation and absence of nature is the root of evil.

In our cohabitation with nature, we become aware of how good it is for us.Not simply for the value in its resources and utility, but also its aesthetic value.We feel noticeably better in the presence of nature than in its absence.It is my understanding that both the absence of nature and the lack of opportunity to experience the aesthetic sense of nature hinders us in changing our present conditions.

In nature, most of us feel free.Worries are washed away, the drudgery of daily life seems easier, and thoughts flow more freely.It is here that our stream of consciousness is woven together cohesively and reveals to us new patterns of how the world is pieced together.When we abandon nature in our daily lives, we lose contact with the authenticity of the world.The authentic is that which is without deception.I believe that nature is the fundamental source of value from which all other human values derive.Just as mountains have a foundation, a deep bedrock which anchors them to the earth, nature is a type of root from which all else blooms.If nature has such authenticity, it can be said that new nature has authenticity as well.Simply because it is nature.We as humans are not the ones who create new nature, but we set a process in motion, and it develops on its own.Just as the mountains which are anchored deep in the earth change over time regardless of our will.On this point, new nature is separated from art.Art implies an illusion, a notion and a staged scene.New nature exists without us taking interest in it while art demands to be seen, experienced, and felt.

New nature and art are one in the same and contains the seed from which a better world and a new foundation for life can sprout.

The current nature which we are creating the framework for is a work of art that is formed and shaped.On the other hand, new nature grows and develops freely in agreement with Immanuel Kant’s definition of the concept of nature.New nature is as such, both nature and art.In Kant’s distinction between the aesthetic experience of nature and the aesthetic experience of art, the sublime plays an essential role.Kant explains that the sublime can only be experienced in nature, and not through art.I however have another perception of the sublime as I do not distinguish between the aesthetic experience of nature and the aesthetic experience of art; they are one in the same when it comes to new nature as art.New nature is not something we create as a finished composition in the traditional understanding of art.We create the framework.The design of this framework is tied to the initiation of the processes and phenomena that develop the grown environment into a nature that engages us in the same way that Kant’s nature would.Today, art often has a stronger focus towards social relations and shifting processes rather than on creating objects.In this context, art works through installations, and installations are not sculpture.A sculpture is, in a conventional sense, an autonomous figure which is often clearly defined by its form.Being self-referential, the sculpture can move from place to place, not belonging to any certain time or space.Should a sculpture be created in relation to a specific space,it is no longer a sculpture, but an installation.The space that typically lies between the viewer and the sculpture is not something that can be found in an installation.Here the viewer is a part of the piece and influences it by occupying the same space.This is similar to taking a walk in the forest and feeling its presence; we feel the aesthetic sense of nature and become one with the forest.New nature is such an installation and gains meaning through the presence of humans which are the starting point for experience, acknowledgement, and the aesthetic sense of nature.New nature must show us that it is possible to give up domesticating all that grows and all that is living.Helping us with this realization will allow new nature to freely unfurl itself by its own free will.I am interested in how we can involve people with new nature and how this nature, by its mere presence, can bring us together and inspire us to action.Not just to sit down and look at it, but to embrace it, to allow one’s hands to feel the texture of a tree, or to listen to the plants and to feel what it all means for one’s quality of life.I am convinced that through this type of engagement we can rediscover nature’s essential meaning in terms of our welfare.It is not the lists of the world’s endangered species that will cause us to react, but the deafening silence left from the absence of birdsong in the forest.

The aesthetic sense of nature is a new step for humanity.

As a point of departure, I would like to refer to the philosophical understanding of the concept of aesthetic, as laid out by Kant in 1790.More precisely in his definition of an experience of beauty that both is and is not dependent on the concepts of recognition and ethics.Understood philosophically, aesthetics is a belief that deals with both beauty and the sensory.The authentic sense of nature is therefore closely bound to and precedes the experience of beauty.I imagine that we have all had encounters with nature that gave us a feeling of being a part of something greater than ourselves: moments of great beauty experienced during a walk through the forest, while surrounded by foggy mountains dressed in pine trees, or on an open ocean as still as glass.This state of being is an example of the aesthetic sense of nature and in these moments, we experience a strong relationship to nature as we are surrounded and enveloped in it.We remember this experience of the aesthetic sense of nature as something special, something beautiful.Remembering this feeling is aesthetic experience.Allowing oneself to be led by it, is an aesthetic intuition.Experiencing this beauty changes our ways of thinking.The experience is personal, and it is a feeling that can neither be measured nor quantified but shared with others.

The aesthetic community is carried by the need to share sensory experiences in nature.

In nature we realize that natural beauty brings us together in a community where we have a need to share our aesthetic sense of nature with each other.This is the foundation of our ability to have conversations about the sensory, to exchange ideas,and to discuss.Not necessarily to reach agreement or decide what is right or wrong, but to expand our understanding and perception.I imagine a constant, circular discussion as the groundwork for a new philosophy of nature.The absence of nature and of the experience of nature promotes the conditions in which the outdated views of nature,views in which humans lie at the centre and placed above nature.Without nature, these conditions can be maintained and adhered to throughout any sort of crisis.This outdated view of nature is tightly woven together with the conditions western civilization has developed over time, and western civilization bears the responsibility for creating these conditions.Today, we are one with the problems which we have ourselves created, and these are the terms with which we either must come to learn to live with, or do something about in order to change them, because these problems won’t go away on their own.I see a sense of reality as a safeguard against the conditions in society that hinder the aesthetic sense of nature from fostering free and creative people, and the sense of community is what makes it possible for us to form a freer society than we have today.This ability to change and impact the world around us can be qualified when we sense and feel nature’s phenomena.Nature is paramount our development towards becoming free and whole people.

The development of a new view of nature as the groundwork for the perception of reality.

We share both the aesthetic sense of nature and the aesthetic experience with others, and it is my assertion that both are essential for us both as individuals and as a community to create a life in deep coexistence and intergrown with nature.These are the foundation of an ethical code which will guide us in the upbringing of a society, on both the large scale and the local, which is carried by the values of freedom and social community.The aesthetic sense of nature is the first step in moving towards a society in which every individual can feel free and embrace their own free will as key value of life.Furthermore, both the aesthetic sense of nature and the aesthetic experience make it possible to expand on this line of thinking.Both Hannah Arendt and Immanuel Kant discuss an expanded line of thought that includes others’viewpoints and reflections.In the common effort to form a free and playful society conditioned by nature, we need to share our experience of nature with one another, and the aesthetic sense of nature is something that many need to rediscover as something meaningful, and thereby rediscovering the feeling of living a meaningful life.In an existence removed from the beauty of nature and its phenomena — an existence in which we see nature as dangerous and something that should be fought against and controlled — it is incredibly difficult to get used to nature, to allow oneself to be embraced by it, and to allow it to be unrestricted and without conditions.I assert that the need for a new view of nature is a fundamental necessity to humanity.It is not an artificially made necessity created by external forces.It is as vital a necessity to us as drinking clean water and breathing clean air are in order to function as whole, healthy people.We have an aesthetic need which is founded on feeling and sensing, and when this need is not met, we become stunted, frustrated,sad, aggressive and self-centred.We lose our freedom.The beauty of nature supports our need to live in freedom and shows us that we are in fact a part of nature and all its phenomena and beauty.Therefore, nature should be present where we live,work, and play so that we can become whole humans.A whole person is a social person who has a need to share the pure sense of reflection with others.As social beings, we humans are oppressed in the absence of nature.

Conversation and constant discussion are the path to insight and action.

The aesthetic discussion is a free conversation without a conclusion, and there is no authority in this conversation to stop it or to decide whether something is right or wrong.The sensory experience is the starting point for the conversation, and it leads the individual towards an even deeper understanding and insight.The aesthetic perception only becomes communal when one shares their experiences with others,further developing one’s creative nature via discussion and the ability to express oneself more in feelings and senses rather than through intellect.This aesthetic conversation is an important link in the efforts to create a life of freedom in close relation to the beauty of nature.

We need to free ourselves from the cultural focus on visual stimuli and concentrate more on the feeling from which these originate rather than the visual, the formal, or the physical expression.This feeling comes from within, and it doesn’t have to do with seeing the pines standing in the forest,but in feeling the sensation that arises in the body when wandering amongst them.The sublime is such an intense experience of natural beauty that it awakes wonder from within.I feel my own freedom and find strength in this wonder, and meeting this inconceivable and boundless phenomenon gives me the power I need to focus on living free and on living freely together with,and in respect for, all life.