Abstract

Care for nature is typically grounded either in human beings as environmental dependents or in nature in its own right. In the latter case, nature is seen as an object of care irrespective of human welfare. I will argue that this latter kind of appreciation of nature can be gleaned from the Roman late Stoic philosophy of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. I will then discuss whether a non-verbal, pictorial work can convey some of the same meaning.

We start from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. I will show that he is in dialogue with a topos more fully articulated in Aristotle’s Poetics, concerned with the relative status of mimetic representations and their real-life objects. With this framework in place, it can more readily be appreciated that Marcus is sketching an attitude to nature and the natural aspect of all things that is akin to an aesthetic delight.

At the same time, it is crucial to see that this appreciative attitude towards nature does not come for free. In order to bring this complex fact to the fore, we turn to a major influence on Marcus, in that Epictetus’ Discourses suggests that such a non-instrumental attitude depends on high-end, strenuous paideia.

The artwork in question is the fresco in the triclinium from the Villa of Livia (Rome, ca 29-20BC). I will argue that this fresco suggests an appreciation of nature that transcends purely instrumental value. To build this case, I include arguments concerning the function and materiality of the room which the fresco decorates; the fresco’s sophisticated interplay between appreciation of techne and appreciation of phusis in its very presence; and the considered manner in which this fresco sets up a contrast between curated and non-curated (or minimally curated) nature.