Wilderness Philosophy

Wilderness philosophy has a long history.  Questions about the value and role of wilderness and nature in human life have been asked for thousands of years, if not since the very early stages of the homo sapiens species.

Wilderness philosophy can be found within a variety of fields.  For example:

• Wilderness Survival - e.g., wilderness-survival.net

• Wilderness Medicine - e.g., What is Wilderness Medicine?

• Wilderness Photography - e.g., Discussion forum about Wilderness Photography

• Wilderness Economics - e.g., The Role of Nature in the Economy

• Wilderness Conservation - e.g., The Role of Wilderness in Nature Conservation

• Wilderness & Landscape Architecture - e.g., Wilderness by Design: Landscape Architecture & the National Park Service (book abstract)

There are several key North American nature philosophers such as

• Henry David Thoreau (famous his transcendental wilderness writings, social commentary, & living for 2 years in a hut he built at Walden Pond),

• John Muir (founder of the Sierra Club),

• Aldo Leopold (famous for his work in practice and philosophy in forestry and wildlife ecology - read biography) and

• Roderick Nash (especially his classic Wilderness and the American Mind).  All are quite insightful and relevant to the relationship between nature and human psychology and human society today.

• Benton MacKaye - founder of the Appalachian Trail

Current literature in park management, outdoor recreation, leisure, therapeutic recreation, and outdoor education often utilizes and develops understandings of the relationship between humans and wilderness.  For example, see "Values and Benefits of State Parks" (National Association of State Park Directors, USA).

Leo McAvoy is famous for his article on "rescue-free wilderness", in which he advocates the somewhat radical perspective that there be areas of wilderness deemed rescue-free - in other words, go in at your own peril, in order to preserve a more natural "wildness" to the experience of the wilderness.  Short discussion thread about no rescue wilderness on the AEE-listserv.

Ecopsychology has emerged in the last couple of decades, as the specific study of the relationship between natural environmental and psychological processes and experiences.  Google search for "ecopsychology".  Also environmental psychology

Ethics of wilderness usage has become an increasingly prominent topic, especially in North America where there is significant recreational pressure placed on wilderness areas.  For more information, go to Ethics & Moral Development in Outdoor Education.

To explore wilderness philosophy more, try these Google searches: "wilderness philosophy" and "wilderness idea"