Abstract

The dissertation is composed of an exegesis of Martin Buber directed toward understanding his meaning in regard to the I-Thou relation between persons and nature, utilization of this paradigm to interpret a variety of naturalist writings, a philosophical narrative of this student's own experience of nature as informed by the paradigm, and exploration of the ethical implications of I-Thou relation with nature. The project has significance both of a philosophic-religious nature generally and for ethical thought specifically. The interpenetration of I-Thou relatedness into the larger scheme of the human involvement with the natural world is found to broaden and deepen our experience of nature as the source, ground, and context of our being. Elaboration of ethical standing for the natural world has significance for evaluating uses and abuses of this world and for strengthening ethical sensibility and decision-making within the other spheres of human action