浙江社会科学

自然美学于20世纪60年代复兴之后,自然的形式审美开始成为学界反思自然审美传统和重建自然美学的起点。以贝尔为代表的极端形式主义忽视自然作为审美对象的本己特性,从而认为自然审美只基于(与艺术类比的)自然的形式层面。以卡尔松为代表的反形式主义者,认为自然不具有形式审美特征,或者认为自然形式审美非常困难而且不够重要。以赞格威尔、马修斯等为代表的温和形式主义者承认自然形式审美的可能性与重要性,但并不将其看作是自然唯一的审美方式。我们倡导一种更具包容性和拓展性的自然形式审美观。这种理论认为自然的"形式特征"要从"视觉的"扩展为"身体的";自然的形式特征除了对称、和谐与均衡之外,还有不规则、无序或杂乱以及其所归属的生态系统的非平衡;自然形式审美要深入到自然的"生命"进程及其生死节律之中。

Upon the revival of the aesthetics of nature in the 1960 s, formalism has instantly become a reference point for aestheticians to reflect on and remodel the long tradition of natural appreciation. The extreme formalists represented by Clive Bell proclaim that the appreciation of nature, in analogy to that of art,should be based solely on its formal features, largely overlooking other aesthetic properties. The anti-formalists represented by Allen Carlson, in contrast, believe either that the nature does not harbor any formal features or that a pure formalism in natural appreciation is impossible or tends to become trivial. There are also moderate formalists, as represented by Nick Zangwill and Patricia Matthews, who despite recognizing the possibility and importance of formal appreciation tend not to take it as the only legitimate way of doing natural aesthetics. The author thus advocates a more inclusive and expansive formalism in natural appreciation.Such a theoretical stand holds that(1)the "formal features" of nature shall be extended from the "visual" to the "somatic" level;(2)the "formal features", in addition to symmetry, harmony and equilibrium, shall also take on board irregularity, disorder or imbalance intrinsic to both natural objects and ecosystems to which they belong;(3)and that the appreciation shall go deeper into the "life process" of nature, relishing its rhythm of life and death.