Allen Carlson

Professor Emeritus

Department of Philosophy

University of Alberta

Edmonton, Canada T6G 2E7 

acarlson@ualberta.ca

Research Interests: Aesthetics, Environmental Philosophy, Aesthetics of Nature

Selected Recent Publications:

Books:

Nature and Landscape: An Introduction to Environmental Aesthetics (New York: Columbia University Press, 2009) 184 pp., 12 illus.

Functional Beauty, with G. Parsons (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008, paperback 2012) 256 pp.

Aesthetics and the Environment: The Appreciation of Nature, Art and Architecture (London: Routledge, 2000, paperback 2002) 247 pp., 10 illus.

Edited Books:

Nature, Aesthetics, and Environmentalism: From Beauty to Duty, ed. with S. Lintott (New York: Columbia University Press, 2008) 472 pp.

The Aesthetics of Human Environments, ed. with A. Berleant (Peterborough: Broadview, 2007) 312 pp.

The Aesthetics of Natural Environments, ed. with A. Berleant (Peterborough: Broadview, 2004) 312 pp.

Essays in Books and Journals:

"The Beauty of Landscape,” On Beauty, eds., W. Huemer and I. V. Ferran (Munich: Philosophia Verlag, forthcoming).

“Landscape,” Routledge Companion to Environmental Ethics, eds., B. Hale and A. Light (New York: Taylor & Francis/Routledge, 2019).

“Environmental Aesthetics, Ethics, and Ecoaesthetics,” Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 76 (2018): 399-410.  

“The Appreciative Paradox of Japanese Gardens,” New Essays in Japanese Aesthetics, ed., M. Nguyen (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2018) pp. 93-108.

“The Relationship between Eastern Ecoaesthetics and Western Environmental Aesthetics,” Philosophy East and West 67 (2017): 117-139.

“The Place of Ecoaesthetics within Environmental Aesthetics,” trans. Zhao Qing, revised by Xiangzhan Cheng, Seeking Truth 42 (2015): 115-119. 

“Ten Steps in the Development of Western Environmental Aesthetics,” Environmental Aesthetics: Crossing Divides and Breaking Ground, eds., M. Drenthen and J. Keulartz (New York: Fordham University Press, 2014) pp. 13-24.

“The Link between Aesthetic Appreciation and the Preservation Imperative,” with S. Lintott, Linking Ecology and Ethics for a Changing World: Values, Philosophy, and Action, eds., R. Rozzi, S.T.A. Pickett, C. Palmer, J.J. Armesto, and J. B. Callicott (New York/Heidelberg: Springer, 2014) pp. 125-136.

“The Dilemma of Everyday Aesthetics,” Aesthetics of Everyday Life: West and East, eds., L. Yuedi and C. Carter (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014) pp. 48-64.

“Distinguishing Intention and Function in Art Appreciation,” with G. Parsons, Behavioral and Brain Sciences 36 (2013): 153-154.

“Environmental Aesthetics,” Routledge Companion to Aesthetics, Third Edition, eds., B. Gaut and D. Lopes (London: Routledge, 2013) pp. 485-498.

“Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature and Environmentalism,” Philosophy and the Environment: Royal Institute of Philosophy 69, ed., A. O'Hear (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011) pp. 137-155.

“Scientific Understanding of Environmental Aesthetics in Perspective,” with Xue Fuxing, Aesthetics International-Contemporary International Aestheticians Interviews, ed., L. Yuedi (Beijing: China Social Sciences Press, 2010) pp. 128-162.

“Contemporary Environmental Aesthetics and the Requirements of Environmentalism,” Environmental Values 19 (2010): 289-314.

“Environmental Aesthetics,” Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed., E. Craig (London: Routledge, 2010): http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/M047

“Nature, Aesthetic Appreciation of,” Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed., E. Craig (London: Routledge, 2010): http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/M032

“Environmental Aesthetics,” A Companion to Aesthetics, Second Edition, eds., S. Davies, K. Higgins, R. Hopkins, R. Stecker, and D. Cooper (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009) pp. 134-136.  

“The Requirements for an Adequate Aesthetics of Nature,” Environmental Philosophy 4 (2007): 1-12.

“Arnold Berleant’s Environmental Aesthetics,” Ethics, Place and Environment 10 (2007): 217-225.

“Aesthetics and Environment,” British Journal of Aesthetics 46 (2006): 416-427.

“The Aesthetic Appreciation of Architecture under Different Conceptions of the Environment,” Journal of Aesthetic Education 40 (2006): 77-88.

“‘We see beauty now where we could not see it before’: Rolston’s Aesthetics of Nature,” Nature, Value, Duty: Life on Earth with Holmes Rolston, III, eds., C. Preston and W. Ouderkirk (Dordrecht: Springer, 2006) pp. 103-124.

“The Requirements for an Adequate Aesthetics of Nature,” Aesthetic Culture: Essays in Honour of Yrjö Sepänmaa on his Sixtieth Birthday, 12 December 2005, eds., S. Knuuttila, E. Sevanen and R. Turunen (Helsinki: Maahenki Oy, 2005) pp. 15-34.

“Scientific Representations of Natural Landscapes and Appropriate Aesthetic Appreciation,” Rivista di Estetica (Review of Aesthetics) 29 (2005): 41-51.

“Budd and Brady on the Aesthetics of Nature,” Philosophical Quarterly 55 (2005): 107-114.

“New Formalism and the Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature,” with G. Parsons, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 62 (2004): 363-376.

Some Internet Resources:

“Teaching Environmental Aesthetics,” American Society for Aesthetics Newsletter 22 (2003, updated 2008): 3-5: http://aesthetics-online.org/?page=CarlsonEnvironment

“Environmental Aesthetics,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. E. N. Zalta (Stanford: SEP, 2007, revised 2010, 2015, 2019): http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/environmental-aesthetics/

Enhanced bibliography for this SEP entry at PhilPapers, with links to its database: http://philpapers.org/sep/environmental-aesthetics/          

Some Earlier Publications:

“Nature Appreciation and the Question of Aesthetic Relevance,” Environment and the Arts, ed., A. Berleant (London: Ashgate, 2002) pp. 62-75.

“Education for Appreciation: What is the Correct Curriculum for Landscape?” Journal of Aesthetic Education 35 (2001): 97-112.

“On Aesthetically Appreciating Human Environments,” Philosophy and Geography 4 (2001): 9-24.    

“The Aesthetic Appreciation of Everyday Architecture,” Architecture and Civilization, ed., M. Mitias (Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi, 1999) pp. 107-121.

“On the Aesthetic Appreciation of Japanese Gardens,” British Journal of Aesthetics 37 (1997): 47-56.

“Aesthetic Appreciation of the Natural Environment,” Aesthetics, eds., S. Feagin and P. Maynard (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997) pp. 30-40.

“Nature, Aesthetic Appreciation, and Knowledge,” Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 53 (1995): 393-400.

“Existence, Location, and Function: The Appreciation of Architecture,” Philosophy and Architecture, ed., M. Mitias (Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi, 1994) pp. 141-164.

“Appreciating Art and Appreciating Nature,” Landscape, Natural Beauty, and the Arts, eds., S. Kemal and I. Gaskell (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993) pp. 199-227.

“Aesthetics and Engagement,” British Journal of Aesthetics 33 (1993): 220-227.

“On the Theoretical Vacuum in Landscape Assessment,” Landscape Journal 12 (1993): 51-56.

“Environmental Aesthetics,” A Companion to Aesthetics, ed., D. Cooper (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1992) pp. 142-144.

“Whose Vision? Whose Meanings? Whose Values?: Pluralism and Objectivity in Landscape Analysis,” Vision, Culture, and Landscape, ed., P. Groth (Berkeley: University of California, 1990) pp. 157-168.

“Is Environmental Art an Aesthetic Affront to Nature?” Canadian Journal of Philosophy 16 (1986): 635-650.

“Reconsidering the Aesthetics of Architecture,” Journal of Aesthetic Education 20 (1986): 21-27.

“On Appreciating Agricultural Landscapes,” Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 43 (1985): 301-312.

“Nature and Positive Aesthetics,” Environmental Ethics 6 (1984): 5-34.

“Nature, Aesthetic Judgment, and Objectivity,” Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 40 (1981): 15-27. 

“Formal Qualities and the Natural Environment,” Journal of Aesthetic Education 13 (1979): 99-114.

“Appreciation and the Natural Environment,” Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 37 (1979): 267-276.

“On the Possibility of Quantifying Scenic Beauty,” Landscape Planning 4 (1977): 131-172.

“Environmental Aesthetics and the Dilemma of Aesthetic Education,” Journal of Aesthetic Education 10 (1976): 69-82.

Publications available in Languages other than English:

Books in Translation:

Functional Beauty, trans. Xue Fuxing (Kaifeng, China: Henan University Press, 2015) 214 pp. (Chinese translation, previously published in English by Oxford University Press in 2008).

From Nature to Humanity: Essays in Environmental Aesthetics by Allen Carlson, ed., trans., and with an introduction, Xue Fuxing (Cuilin, China: Guangxi Normal University Press, 2012) 356 pp. (Chinese translation of 18 essays dating from 1977 to 2010, previously published in English as essays in several academic journals).

Aesthetics and the Environment: The Appreciation of Nature, Art and Architecture, trans. Ping Yang. (Chengdu, China: Sichuan People’s Publishing House, 2006) 348 pp., 10 illus. (Chinese translation, previously published in English by Routledge, UK, in 2000).

Nature and Landscape, trans. Libo Chen (Changsha, China: Hunan Publishing House, 2005, 2017) 149 pp., 22 illus. (Chinese translation of 7 essays dating from 1998 to 2005, previously published in English as essays in several academic journals).

Essays in Translation:

“The Place of Ecoaesthetics within Environmental Aesthetics,” trans. Zhao Qing, revised by Xiangzhan Cheng, Seeking Truth 42 (2015): 115-119. (Published only in Chinese). 

“L'appréciation esthétique de l'environnement naturel,” Esthétique de l'environnement. Appréciation, connaissance et devoir (Aesthetics of the Environment: Appreciation, Knowledge and Duty), eds., Hicham-Stéphane Afeissa and Yann Lafolie (Paris: J. Vrin, 2015) pp. 55-84. (French translation of “Aesthetic Appreciation of the Natural Environment,” previously published in Aesthetics, eds., S. Feagin and P. Maynard (Oxford University Press, 1997)). 

“Produktywność i wartości estetyczne krajobrazu rolniczego,” Krajobrazy: Antologia tekstów (Landscapes: Anthology of Texts), eds., Beata Frydryczak and Dorota Angutek (Poznań: Poznań Society of Friends of Science, 2014) pp. 319-334. (Polish translation of “Aesthetic Appreciation and the Agricultural Landscape,” previously published in Allen Carlson, Nature and Landscape: An Introduction to Environmental Aesthetics (New York: Columbia University Press, 2009)).        

“Die ästhetische Wertschätzung alltäglicher Architektur,”  Architekturphilosophie: Grundlagentexte (Philosophy of Architecture: Essential Readings), ed., Christoph Baumberger (Münster, Germany: mentis Verlag GmbH, 2013) pp. 111-127. (German translation of “The Aesthetic Appreciation of Everyday Architecture,” previously published in Architecture and Civilization, ed., M. Mitias (Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi, 1999)).

“Oceňování a přírodní environment,” Estetika na přelomu milénia (Aesthetics at the Turn of the Millennium), ed., Pavel Zahrádka (Brno, Czech Republic: Barrister and Principal, 2011) pp. 385-396. (Czech translation of “Appreciation and the Natural Environment,” previously published in Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 37 (1979)).

“Apreciar a arte e apreciar a natureza,” Filosofia da Paisagem: Uma Antologia (Philosophy of Landscape: An Anthology), ed., Adriana Veríssimo Serrão (Lisbon: Centro de Filosofia da Universidade de Lisboa, 2011) pp. 257-280. (Portuguese translation of “Appreciating Art and Appreciating Nature,” previously published in Landscape, Natural Beauty, and the Arts, eds., S. Kemal and I. Gaskell (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993)).

“Contemporary Environmental Aesthetics and the Requirements of Environmentalism,” Academic Research 4 (2010): 15-27 (Chinese translation, previously published in JTLA (Journal of the Faculty of Letters, University of Tokyo) 34 (2009) and Environmental Values 19 (2010)).

“Tarkasteluun kasvattaminen: mikä on olennaista maisemassa?” (Aesthetic Experience: What is Relevant to Landscape?), trans. T. Nuopponen, Maiseman kanssa kasvokkain (Face to Face with the Landscape), eds., Y. Sepänmaa, L. Heikkilä-Palo, and V. Kaukio (Helsinki: Maahenki Oy, 2007) pp. 92-107. (Published only in Finnish).

“Freedom and Imagination: Budd and Brady on the Aesthetics of Nature,” trans. Xue Fuxing, Nankai Studies in Philosophy 11 (2006): 66-77. (Chinese translation, previously published in Philosophical Quarterly 55 (2005)).

“Nature, Aesthetic Judgment, and Objectivity,” trans. Peng Feng, Journal of China Aesthetics (2006): 287-306. (Chinese translation, previously published in Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 40 (1981)).

“Appreciation and the Natural Environment,” trans. Peng Feng, Journal of China Aesthetics (2006): 307-321. (Chinese translation, previously published in Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 37 (1979)).

“Viljelysmaisemien esteettinen arvo ja touttavuus” (Productivity and the Aesthetic Value of Agricultural Landscapes), trans. K. Nieminen, Pellossa perihopeat (Fields-The Family Silver), eds., Y. Sepänmaa and L. Heikkilä-Palo (Helsinki: Maahenki Oy, 2005) pp. 52-61. (Published only in Finnish).

“Soiden ihaileminen: kosteikkojen vaikea kauneus” (Admiring Mirelands: The Difficult Beauty of Wetlands), trans. K. Nieminen, Suo on kaunis (The Swamp is Beautiful), ed., L. Heikkila-Palo (Helsinki: Maahenki Oy, 1999) pp. 173-181. (Published only in Finnish).

“Ymparistoestetiikka,” Alligaattorin Hymy: Ymparistoestetiikan Uusi Aalto  (Alligator's smile: a new wave of environmental aesthetics) , ed., Y. Sepänmaa (Helsinki: Lahden Tutkimus, 1994) pp. 13-16. (Finnish translation of “Environmental Aesthetics,” previously published in A Companion to Aesthetics, ed., D. Cooper, (London: Basil Blackwell, 1992)).

“Ymparistoestetiikka ja Esteettisen Kasvatuksen Dilemma,” Alligaattorin Hymy: Ymparistoestetiikan Uusi Aalto  (Alligator's smile: a new wave of environmental aesthetics) , ed., Y. Sepänmaa (Helsinki: Lahden Tutkimus, 1994) pp. 105-117. (Finnish translation of “Environmental Aesthetics and the Dilemma of Aesthetic Education,” previously published in Journal of Aesthetic Education 10 (1976)).