The idea of environment as an all-inclusive context is central to an ecological understanding. In such a conception, humans are wholly interdependent with natural forces and other organic and inorganic objects, and this applies to urban environments as well as to so-called natural ones. Further, introducing an aesthetic dimension into an ecological model is both illuminating and important, for the ecological concept of an all-inclusive, interdependent environmental system has its parallel in the experience of aesthetic engagement.
It is clear that terminology is critical in these matters, and the paper reconsiders the basic concepts involved: ‘aesthetics,’ ‘environment,’ ‘ecology,’ and ’experience.’ The paper then discusses two ways of relating these ideas, one logical and the other experiential. It determines that the experiential order of environmental aesthetics leads to the largest perceptual context, the concept of ecology. The implications of this approach are considered for cultural sensibility, urban ecology, aesthetic engagement, and for translating ecology into experience. The paper concludes by recognizing that the aesthetic experience of environment is the perceptual counterpart of ecology.