Philosophy of Landscape

This landmark collection of essays on landscape offers a much-needed com- prehensive exploration of an important dimension of our human environ- ment. Landscape is different from such environmental topics as the forest, the city, and the sea. Unlike other subjects of environmental inquiry, land- scape is strangely situated, giving it a compelling significance. For landscape is not a place that can be clearly demarcated. It is not a natural object like a mountain or a river, nor is it a location such as a valley or an island. In fact, landscape is no thing at all. Etymologically speaking, landscape is an expanse of the perceived environment: a scene, a region, surroundings as viewed by an observer. This gives landscape unique standing in environmental experi- ence because landscape cannot be considered alone: it is, in effect, defined by and in relation to human perception. Landscape is a relationship.