Backpacking with John Locke: American Wilderness as Liberal Resource

Abstract

Wilderness defines Americans, but the concept itself lacks definition, prompting premature laments of its demise and cavalier advocacy for its reformulation. I argue in this article that, in focusing more on what it does than on what it is, there is an underlying cohesiveness to the wilderness concept—that its important permutations consistently support and enhance the liberal tradition, especially that part of the tradition that celebrates the wide distribution of human reason. Wilderness and liberalism are perceived as symbiotic, I argue, and it is this relationship that endears wilderness to the American psyche. John Winthrop, Jonathan Edwards, and John Muir, as well as the postmodernists who dismiss him, all share an appreciation of wilderness that appeals to their liberal inclinations. So, while the backpacking motif evolves, John Locke remains a constant companion. And it is only at their peril that scholars ignore his presence.