John Muir and His Wilderness Ethic

約翰•謬爾(John Muir, 1838-1914)是十九世紀保存美國原始荒野的力倡者與美國生態保護運動的創始者。本文以約翰•謬爾的自然書寫與其生態論述爲探究對象，分析謬爾文本中所勾勒的「荒野倫理」，探討謬爾如何抗拒十九世紀末美國工業、資本社會及正統基督教的主流價值觀、如何打破長久以來以人類爲中心的傳統思考模式、如何強調生態體系中自然萬物之平等性、相互依存性與不可分割性。藉此觀察，本文將更進一步檢視謬爾的「荒野倫理」如何影響二十世紀「深層生態運動」(deep ecology)之論述與基本立場。

關鍵字

約翰•謬爾；荒野倫理；深層生態運動

並列摘要

In the nineteenth century, John Muir is the foremost spokesman of the protection of the American wilderness. He is recognized as the founder of the American environmental movement. Also, he is a prolific nature writer who publishes plenty of influential books for America. This article explores Muir's nature texts. It offers an investigation of Muir's ”wilderness ethic.” This paper examines how Muir resists the prevailing values of Christian religion and the industrial capitalism in the late nineteenth century, how he questions the ideology of anthropocentrism, how he expresses the principle of biocentric egalitarianism and the idea of interdependence, and how he presents the essential oneness of all living things. Through these observations, the paper shows that Muir's ”wilderness ethic”-founded upon a complete identification with nature and a deep respect for the rights of nature-makes him become a genuine ”deep ecologist.”