ABSTRACT
The chapter starts by discussing what wilderness is, then canvasses why we should protect it. It discusses the values of wilderness. It then considers why wilderness is special in terms of its impact regarding wonder, how the ‘genius loci’ of place seems to be cumulative in wild places. It then considers why wilderness is under attack, identifying two key causes, the first being the exploitation lobby, the second being academic, coming primarily from postmodernism. It then considers and responds to various mistaken wilderness ‘myths’. The question of whether we need another word for wilderness is considered, explaining why this would not help. The chapter discusses issues in our ‘mindset’ about wilderness, and the best way to change these through ‘dialogical activism’. The chapter finishes by considering the best ‘way forward’ in regard to protecting wilderness.
