About Ryan Nicholson
In a 2018 appearance, Ryan Nicholson, then a student at the Graduate Institute, discussed the experience of reading in nature. He described how being in the wilderness allowed him to envision philosophical concepts, such as "being in the state of nature" and "returning back to a pre-social society." Nicholson stated that studying the Romantics and their discussions of nature's aesthetics "becomes so much more real" when experienced outdoors.
Nicholson also reflected on the visual impact of a natural environment, noting that being outside a big city with minimal light pollution "brings these Greek ideas into life." He said that seeing constellations with "a much more pure lens" connects to the way ancient Greeks "painted the gods from these constellations."
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Ryan Nicholson's recent appearances.
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Transcript (1 segments)
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Some of the philosophers talk about being in the state of nature, almost returning to a pre-social society. Being out here in the wilderness, you can envision it. Even when I'm in these classrooms and I look out into the mountains, I wonder if I was there by myself, what would that civil or non-civil society look like? In very different aspects, when we're studying the Romantics and the literary aspects of a book and they're talking about the aesthetics of what nature offers us, it becomes so much more real. Outside of a big city, being able to gaze out at the starlight and see all the skies with minimal light pollution, it brings these Greek ideas to life when they're talking about the stars and painting the gods from these constellations. You're able to go out there and see these constellations with a much more pure lens. It's beautiful.
