Environmentalism and the Frustration of Aesthetics

Can aesthetic judgments motivate conservation? It is neither desirable nor accurate to reduce the beautiful to the ethical, or aesthetic judgments to moral judgments. But without this correlation, how can we claim that aesthetic concerns may discourage ecological violence? This article examines recent trends in environmental aesthetics, alongside theories of aesthetic experience, contemporary artistic practice, and the instrumentalisation of beauty, in order to ask the following question: Can aesthetic considerations lead us to do what is right for the environment, without compromising the flexible and inclusive definition of beauty for which current aesthetic practices – including environmental aesthetics – specifically strive?

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