The Ethics of Listening in the Wilderness Writings of Sigurd F. Olson

Abstract

As environmental advocates work to advance an environmental ethic, many have turned their attention to historic writers and activists (e.g., Thoreau, Muir, Leopold, and Carson) in the hope of recovering some lost understanding, value, or spirit that will add to that effort. This chapter examines one such figure whose contribution has been overlooked but whose significance to this book’s theme encourages new attention. Sigurd F. Olson (1899-1982) was the author of nine books and many essays for the nation’s leading newspapers and outdoor-themed magazines. His book Wilderness Days earned him the 1974 John Burroughs Medal for nature writing. He was an active speaker in his role as the president of the National Parks Association and the Wilderness Society and as an advisor to the National Park Service and Stewart Udall, a U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Of Olson, Backes (2001) contends, “[He] was not the first American to discuss the spiritual value of wilderness, nor was he the most scholarly. He was simply the most beloved advocate of his generation” (p. xix).KeywordsSocial MovementSensory ExperienceEnvironmental EthicHate CrimeEnvironmental JusticeThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.