A Study On John Muir’s Thought Of "Wilderness"

In John Muir’s ideas,the "wilderness" is an extremely unique and important existence,and the hope of the whole world is born from it.The iconic concept of "wilderness" runs through Muir’s ideas,and is the origin of his conservationist and natural value ideas.The study of Muir’s wilderness thought at home and abroad is still in the fragmented discussion stage,and there is a lack of systematic research,so it is particularly necessary to systematically excavate the rich connotation of Muir’s wilderness thought.This article starts from the concept of "wilderness",places it in the context of American natural literature for investigation,excavates its unique connotation and value that is closely related to the national consciousness and national spirit of the United States,and then places Muir’s wilderness thought in the entire history of the United States wilderness to understand and grasp.From Muir’s personal experience,his wilderness ideas are largely derived from the infiltration of Christian thought,and the influence and nourishment of the divine qualities on him is extremely profound,prompting him to use religious language to interpret the desire for the divine wilderness.In addition,the edification of scientific knowledge also had an important impact on the formation of Muir’s idea of the wilderness,he regarded science as a way to connect himself and the divine power,and tried to clearly display the wilderness pilgrimage in front of the reader through objective and true scientific records,so as to achieve the unity of religious thought and scientific consciousness in the depths of his heart.The transcendentalists,represented by Emerson and Thoreau,also greatly influenced Muir,whose understanding of the ecological whole and the desire for cosmic symbiosis,as well as the emphasis on the aesthetic and spiritual significance of the wilderness,provided theoretical support for Muir’s wilderness thought in a certain sense.Muir’s wilderness ideas are distinctive and rich in content.He advocated that human beings should truly go deep into the wilderness,experience the breath of the wilderness through multisensory participation in the wilderness and sympathetic engagement in the wilderness,and truly become one with the wilderness.He emphasized the need to decentralize the positive aesthetics of the wilderness,pay attention to capturing the dynamic beauty of the wilderness,and regard everything in the wilderness as a beautiful life existence,and then make an affirmative aesthetic evaluation of the wilderness.Muir advocated the view that the wilderness as a treasure of the world has multiple values,believing that everything in the wilderness is full of spirituality and thought,and they live and reproduce according to their own laws,free from the influence and interference of human beings and any other external objects.In addition,Muir also re-examined the relationship between the wilderness and human beings under the guidance of holism,believing that the wilderness is a harmonious and symbiotic existence with human beings,and together with all things constitutes a complete and harmonious ecological whole.With his own unique wilderness ideas,Muir also vigorously criticized the wilderness dilemma brought about by the utilitarian ideas of human beings in the Gilded Age,and put his ideas into social practice,fighting an arduous struggle for the establishment of Yosemite National Park and the defense of Hutch Hutch Valley.Muir’s idea of the wilderness explores a new model of man-wilderness coexistence,providing theoretical guidance for the arrival of a new world that values the moral character and spiritual revelation of the wilderness.His affirmation of the value of the wilderness and his breakthrough in anthropocentrism still inspire us today,guiding us to consciously establish a deep connection between man and the wilderness,and to treat the wilderness with emotion and love.