Experience of Nature as a Relationship with Nature: Symbolic Meaning, Aesthetic Backdrop, and Nature-Ethical Intuitions
摘要
Intense, personal experiences with nature often lead to a reflection on one’s own self in relation to nature. The concept of a relationship with nature is intended to illustrate this. This article explores how experiences with nature influence the human-nature relationship and value orientations—and does so in a somewhat incidental manner, without any environmental education or moralizing intent. Experiences with nature are symbolically meaningful and have an aesthetic dimension, as natural phenomena (natural spaces, natural objects) are perceived associatively and sensually at the moment of encounter. Therefore, this chapter examines our relationship with nature from a symbolic-theoretical, intuitionist, and nature-aesthetic perspective, and outlines the educational potential and ethical implications of stays in natural spaces for meaningful, relationship-building experiences with nature.