Thursday, December 5, 2013

John Tyler - Outside Reading - The Boundaries of Wilderness

“Wilderness boundaries depend on attitudes and appearances as much as on the physical environment” – Smith and Watson

I found this quote from a work by Smith and Watson called “New Wilderness Boundaries” where they argue that wilderness is defined by experience.  This is an interesting idea.  It seems that so many people confine wilderness to a geographical area.  If wilderness is a geographical concept then it must defined by the landscapes and surrounding environment.  What if wilderness extends beyond what our eyes can see and into the experience itself? 


The attitude and perspective of the person must have an effect on the range of wilderness just as much as the physical environment.  Therefore, I agree with Smith and Watson in that wilderness is defined by experience.  Would you agree or disagree?  

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