An Eco-Phenomenological Journey: The Constancy of Departure, the Approximation of Arrival

• In Event: Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Internal/Holistic Dimensions of Environmental Education

Abstract

This purpose of this paper is to critique naturalism and explore how the body, spirit, and mind could re-conceptualize our place and role in nature. To philosophically explore the relationship between knowledge and mystery through a demonstration of eco-phenomenology, is the paper’s principle objective. Through immediate first-hand experiences within old growth forests, eco-phenomenology can provide insights into the knowledge/mystery dynamic. Borrowing from the tradition of liminal theory, the sylvan fringe separating forest from civilization serves as a literal and figurative setting for the inquiry. Eco-phenomenological descriptions of the sylvan fringe reveal it can be characterized according to nuance and the sojourn. How these two elements could be used to further our thinking about the knowledge/mystery continuum is explored.

Author

• Douglas David Karrow, Brock University