Matthijs G.C. Schouten (born 1952, Netherlands) is a Dutch ecologist and philosopher working at the intersections of ecology, cultural history, and environmental philosophy. Professor at Wageningen University and University College Cork, and long associated with Staatsbosbeheer, he is renowned for his expertise on Irish peatlands and for probing the cultural and spiritual dimensions of human–nature relations. Trained in plant ecology under Victor Westhoff, Schouten’s inquiry extends into comparative religion and Eastern philosophy, shaping his vision of landscape as both ecological system and cultural construct. His writings—such as Mirror of Nature and The Position of Silent Nature—explore how perceptions of nature inform practices of conservation and restoration. A Buddhist and a vegetarian, he foregrounds ethics, spirituality, and stewardship in ecological thought.
The inaugural lecture, given by Joost Emmerik when he assumed his position as Head of Landscape at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in 2022. The text particularly excels in embedding doubt into the teaching process. It is the doubt about nature, our entanglement with it, and the values and politics that drive the design process. It is about passing knowledge to others and questioning it meanwhile – a much more pertinent and productive teaching paradigm for times of uncertainties and change.
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