Philosophical paddling: reviving the aesthetic core of canoe journeying in nature and outdoor education

Abstract

In this thesis, I build on the work of Scottish philosopher Ronald W. Hepburn to develop a pluralistic model of aesthetic education in the context of educational canoe journeys. I begin by integrating concepts and arguments from philosophical aesthetics into canoe journeying by exploring emergent metaphors of journeying drawn on in outdoor education literature. While acknowledging that there is limited conceptual analysis in the discourses of aesthetic education and outdoor education journeys, I integrate research to lay the groundwork for building new insights into this identified knowledge-practice gap.

I demonstrate that opportunities for reconsidering aesthetic education in nature and canoe journeys are plentiful. By adopting a philosophical viewpoint and recognising the significant impact of Ronald W. Hepburn on the aesthetics of nature, I develop an original application of his analyses into the context of educational journeying. Furthermore, I discuss how the continued narrowing of aesthetic education to the study of art or the philosophy of art is problematic in the context of the natural environment, as educators lack the sensible sounding language to describe the meaning of their own and their students’ experiences when journeying. Building on Hepburn’s legacy, I draw upon three further aesthetic philosophers and their models of aesthetics: Allen Carlson – Scientific Cognitivism; Yuriko Saito – Everyday Aesthetics; and Arnold Berleant – Experiential Aesthetics. Each model provides a unique set of aesthetic concepts, which, I argue, are especially beneficial for educators in their efforts to facilitate and guide aesthetic education experiences. To develop the reader's awareness regarding the practical application of the concepts discussed in this thesis, I employ two novel approaches within its structure and style. Influenced by Mary Midgley, with her argument claiming that philosophy is like plumbing, I have sketched original illustrations of the philosophical concepts and their relationships to educational journeying for each model. Again, inspired by Midgley – and with the assistance of stylistic insights from Nussbaum – I undertake canoe journeys with each philosopher in fictive philosophical narratives. Hepburn, Carlson, Saito and Berleant become imagined canoe companions to enable me to address an essential question that Midgley posed: “Who is thinking when you’re thinking?”. Although some aspects of these models are not entirely aligned, I argue that there are considerable conceptual tools within them that educators can utilise to cultivate aesthetic sensibilities and maximise aesthetic rewards for both themselves and their student paddlers. To better understand and practice educational journeys, I show the reader how aesthetic concepts and arguments can provide fertile ground for invigorating and growing opportunities for conceptual and practical work in this area. I conclude that a pluralistic model of aesthetic education in nature and journeying can facilitate better world-making by maximising aesthetic rewards in and after the journeys.