Aesthetics and Nature

Aesthetics and Nature is an excellent addition to a lively, growing area in aesthetics and environmental philosophy. It provides an accessible introduction to a range of topics and an incisive treatment of various theories of aesthetic appreciation of nature. I also found it to be immensely readable, skilfully carving out the main problems in current debates. The book is intended to be an introduction to the area, and it certainly succeeds in this respect. The chapters are organised by different theoretical approaches to aesthetic appreciation of nature and, along the way, there are illuminating discussions of key concepts. As an introductory text, Parsons chooses to present ‘generic positions’ rather than engage with the particular positions of individual philosophers. For the most part this holds true and proves to be an effective way to map the territory of an important, new area, but in some respects examining generic positions hides both more significant and more subtle arguments within current debates. This proves to be awkward for both general and specialized readers. For general readers, this strategy means they have less guidance on how to pin down the particular versions of a position, especially if they want to follow it up. For readers who already know the area well, it is not always clear to whom claims and arguments are being attributed.