Summary Of John Muir's 'The Idea Of Wilderness'

n this chapter, Oelschlaeger discusses John Muir and his many theories. The author contends that Muir is the father of the American conservation movement. Muir’s work was heavily based on a biocentrism and nature-as-an-organism. Muir’s animistic concepts in his later works are similar to Paleolithic ideas discussed previously in Oelschlaeger’s The Idea of Wilderness. This also ties into Chris McHan’s recent in-class presentation on non-western religion and the environment. Muir’s work also acknowledged the anthropocentric beliefs found in Judeo-Christianity. This is spot on with Peter Killeen’s in-class presentation on Judeo-Christian perspectives of the environment.

Similar to idea found in Cronon’s Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human