The Evidence of Nature and the Nature of Evidence

Abstract

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people,” wrote conservationist John Muir over a century ago, “are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”1 Muir was not breaking new ground. Since ancient times, people intuitively have been drawn to places of natural beauty, seeking tranquility, restoration, spiritual fulfillment, and even better health.