Environmental aesthetics at the turn of the centuries — a choice of the conceptual way

Abstract

The article deals with the basic positions and directions established in Russian and foreign environmental aesthetics in the late XX — early XXI century. In countries where environmental aesthetics is most fully developed, namely the U. S. and Finland, there are two directions: cognitivist and noncognitivist. We can find also intermediate positions, but most researchers, even those who claim their independence, yet tend to incline to one or the other of these poles. The first area focuses on rational factors in the aesthetic perception of nature, and the second — on the emotional. Each of these areas has its own advantages and disadvantages, as described in the article. The author draws attention to the fact that environmental aesthetics is multicultural and interdisciplinary science.

Keywords:

aesthetics, ecology, engagement, distance, environment, everyday life, aesthetic appreciation, culture, synesthesia, communication