Wilderness in America: Philosophical Writings (Groundworks: Ecological Issues in Philosophy and Theology)

By: David W. Rodick and Henry Bugbee

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Synopsis: The philosophy of Henry Bugbee defies traditional academic categorization. Though inspired by Heidegger and American Transcendentalism, he was also admired by the famous analytic philosopher Willard van Orman Quine, who described him as the ultimate exemplar of the examined life. Bugbee’s writings are remarkably different from anything written in twentieth-century American philosophy, most famously in the journal-form of his best-known work, The Inward Morning. The beautifully written essays collected here show Bugbee’s continuing commitment that “anyone who throws his entire personality into his work must to some extent adopt an aesthetic attitude and medium.” Beginning with an introductory account of Bugbee’s “experiential naturalism,” this book brings Bugbee’s early writings together with some of his most celebrated essays, as well as unpublished pieces, an extended interview, and a handful of tributes and reflections by others. Together, the book reintroduces a major thinker of nature, an environmental philosopher avant la lettre who has much to contribute to American and continental thought.