Aesthetics of Nature, Constitutive Goods, and Environmental Conservation: A Defense of Moderate Formalist Aesthetics

Scientific cognitivists argue formalist aesthetics of nature are (1) inadequate for appreciating the full range of nature's aesthetic values and (2) too subjective to be useful for defending nature conservation. I argue (1) is false because moderate formalists can appreciate nature for its performances, not merely objects and vistas. I argue (2) is false because moderate formalists can argue that appreciation of beauty (including natural beauty) is a constitutive good of human flourishing, whose realization relies on access to a rich and diverse array of aesthetically rewarding experiences throughout a lifetime. On these grounds, moderate formalists (among others) can justify conserving distinctive natural entities and environs for our own and future generations’ good.