Surface Phenomena and Aesthetic Experience

Abstract

Appreciation for nature or landscape is a principal reason for becoming a geographer. The aesthetic impulse and experience are not, however, confined to any class of individuals. They are a universal human trait, and we find evidence of it in all areas of human life. Satisfaction with life consists largely of taking pleasure in form and expressiveness—in sensory impressions, modified by the mind, at all scales from the smile of a child to the built environment and political theater. So much of life occurs at the surface that, as students of the human scene, we are obliged to pay far more attention to its character (subtlety, variety, and density) than we have done. The scholar's neglect and suspicion of surface phenomena is a consequence of a dichotomy in Western thought between surface and depth, sensory appreciation and intellectual understanding, with bias against the first of the two terms. Variant meanings of these terms and their impact on our attitude toward surface phenomena, aesthetic experience, and “mere description”are explored.

Key Words:

• aesthetic
• appearance
• beauty
• depth
• description
• surface
• ugly