Moral relations in encounters with nature

Abstract

The overall aim of this article is to develop in-depth knowledge about the connection between outdoor experiences and moral attitudes towards nature. The study focuses on processes in which moral relations are at stake in encounters between students and nature. The purpose is to identify such events, describe their specific circumstances and clarify how moral relations are established in these events. The empirical material consists of video-recordings of activities in three different outdoor education practices. In order to identify and categorise moral situations, an analytical tool called the ethical tendency is used. This tool is based on Wittgenstein's language game method. The findings show that in the investigated outdoor education practices, moral relations towards nature are established in several different ways. The article concludes with four educational implications: responsibility when dealing with moral reactions; bringing ethical questions to the fore; different educational conditions create different encounters with nature; and the consequences of different language games.

Children Outdoor Play Towards Educational Sustainability: A Scoping Review

“…Children will try to manipulate physically, socially, and emotionally. Anderssona and Ohman (2015) stated that outdoor experiences in outdoor play practices relate to moral attitudes towards nature.…”

Ethical (practice) perspectives in the outdoors

“…Indeed, within the field, pressing issues with ethical dimensions have been discussed. In practice terms, much attention has been devoted to the environmental sustainability of adventure tourism and outdoor education (Prince, 2017;Ross, Christie, Nicol, & Higgins, 2014) and opportunities for moral deliberation (Thorburn, 2018), moral relations (Andersson & Ohman, 2015) and ethics of care (McKenzie & Blenkinsop, 2006) in outdoor educational practice. Similarly, the incongruousness (and ethical ambiguity) of 'outdoor' experiences often, if not predominantly, occurring in indoor spaces framed by business principles, and market logics (Beames & Brown, 2014, 2017 has also received attention.…”

Environmental education – the bumpy road from childhood foraging to literacy and active responsibility

“…The benefits of nature experiences. Childhood foraging and adult environmental attitudes There is a substantial body of literature demonstrating the psychological and health benefits of natural environment experiences among adults (Kaplan & Kaplan 1989;Schultz 2002;Jackson 2003;Bratman et al 2015) and children (Wells & Evans 2003;Louv 2005;Andersson & Öhman 2015). It is widely accepted that the environment is likely to have a more profound effect on children due to their greater plasticity and vulnerability (Wells & Evans 2003) and that a decrease in the amount of time spent in nature can lead to "nature-deficit disorder" (Louv 2005).…”

“…Additionally, it should be emphasized that knowledge transmission does not necessarily lead directly to a pro-environmental behaviour (Kollmuss & Agyeman 2002). However, outdoor experiences have been found to influence and develop the attitudes, norms, value system, knowledge and action competence needed to effectively address environmental problems (Ewert et al 2005;Wells & Lekies 2006;Andersson & Öhman 2015;Bratman et al 2015). For example, scientific fieldwork, such as nature conservation management activities, might be seen as good opportunity for outdoor experience and public engagement and bridging the gap between academics and communities.…”

“…Ecological embeddedness is being lost at an accelerated pace with direct implications on the rational, sustainable use and management of existing resources (Whiteman & Cooper 2000). We are still far from (re)achieving our moral and psychological -cognitive, affective and behavioural, relations with nature (Schultz 2002;Andersson & Öhman 2015). The present segregation of humanity from nature and its overall lack of capacity to recognise the integrated sense of the unity of the world bears major consequences for our personhood and for the environment (Schultz 2002;Orr 2004).…”