John Cage, Henry David Thoreau, Wild Nature, Humility, and Music

Authors

Andrew J. Corsa, Lynn UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-11-2021

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5840/enviroethics202111828

Abstract

John Cage and Henry David Thoreau draw attention to the indeterminacy of wild nature and imply humans cannot entirely control the natural world. This paper argues Cage and Thoreau each encourages his audience to recognize their own human limitations in relation to wildness, and thus each helps his audience to develop greater humility before nature. By reflecting on how Thoreau’s theory relates to Cage’s music, we can recognize how Cage’s music contributes to audiences’ environmental moral education. We can appreciate the role of music in helping audiences to develop values conducive to environmentally sustainable practices.

Publication

Environmental Ethics

Publisher

Philosophy Documentation Center

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Recommended Citation

Corsa, A. J. (2021). John Cage, Henry David Thoreau, wild nature, humility, and music. Environmental Ethics, 43(3), 219-234. https://doi.org/10.5840/enviroethics202111828