Why this cult of wilderness? Why the surly hatred of…
““Why this cult of wilderness? Why the surly hatred of progress and development, the churlish resistance to all popular improvements? Very well, a fair question, but it’s been asked and answered a thousand times already; enough books to drive a man stark naked mad have dealt in detail with the question. There are many answers, all good, each sufficient. Peace is often mentioned; beauty; spiritual refreshment, whatever that means; re-creation for the soul, whatever that is; escape; novelty, the delight of something different; truth and understanding and wisdom—commendable virtues in any man, anytime; ecology and all that, meaning the salvation of variety, diversity, possibility and potentiality, the preservation of the genetic reservoir, the answers to questions that we have not yet even learned to ask, a connection to the origin of things, an opening into the future, a source of sanity for the present—all true, all wonderful, all more than enough to answer such a dumb dead degrading question as “Why wilderness?” To which, nevertheless, I shall append one further answer anyway: because we like the taste of freedom; because we like the smell of danger.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
People seek wilderness for freedom, danger, and deeper meaning beyond civilization.
In simple terms: Wilderness offers freedom, danger, and spiritual renewal.
Key Takeaway
Value wild spaces for their liberating power.
Themes
freedom
nature
spirituality
Mood
contemplative
reverent
Type
environmental
philosophical
When to use this quote
- hiking
- conservation work
- creative retreats
Key Concepts
ecology
humanism
existentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do you crave danger in nature?
- How can we protect wilderness while respecting its power?
A Different Perspective
Romanticizing wilderness may ignore ecological impacts.