HISTORY OF IDEAS - French & English Gardens 

The video also doesn't directly address how the garden's reflect a belief of how man's relationship with nature and the universe. The French tradition suggests a sense of superiority over nature and the power of humans. The English tradition suggests an understanding of nature's and the universe's authority over man and that humans have downfalls and limits when addressing nature.

@@Le_Samourai I prefer your observation.

@@marquamfurniture Thx, though I think Jason's idea and mine tie into each other in some ways. The French and English had differing beliefs of human nature because of the political and technological context of the time

@@Le_Samourai The last garden reconciled the French/English visions. May be the best outcome. I tend to be partial to informal cottage gardens.... But I also love lush tropical foliage, barely tamed.

@@marquamfurniture @AdipatedApple ; Hi! Thank you for your insight. I know these comments were made quite a while ago but I'm writing my thesis on the relationship between man, nature, and the sublime in the west and using English and French formal gardens as a means of comparison. I'm especially appreciate that you both have included a more historical materialist reflection in contextualizing both of these styles. I believe this will be an integral aspect of my paper. I'd also like to address the concept of formal gardens and the link with imperial nations. All of this said would either of you be willing to point me in the direction of some resources regarding this subject/related? You seem to have done some research in the past. Thanks so much either way! Hope all is well!

you simply can't fail with a name like that

+inkliizii His real name was Lancelot Brown. "Capability" was what you might call a nickname. - Also, this short piece only hints at a darker side to his ideas- eg. If a village stood between the 'big house' and Brown's plans to create 'natural rolling countryside,' the village could be demolished and the inhabitants uprooted.

+inkliizii It certainly sounds British.

+Zeroxdan Maybe you already know it, but still , I recommend you to watch "Shots of Awe" channel here on RU-vid

I actually do. He is from my country (Venezuela

+Raphanne They're called cemeteries in the US as well, if we're your "Across the pond". (I couldn't say for Canada)

oh, that would be very interesting!

Gotta disappoint you though, "capability" was not a name given at birth, his name was Lancelot Brown; he got this nickname because he talked a lot about "capabilities". :')

a lot of principles of the english garden were taken or inspired by chinese gardens. Both gardens look very different but the philosophy behind it is quite similar

+Claudine Malis Asia is a giant place, perhaps narrow it down to the different cultures there.

They copy it from the french.

East-Asia then? I have to say, Japanese-style gardens are so particular that a video about it would be a good idea.

Japanese garden derived from Chinese garden, they copied the popular style around Tang and Song dynasty, they stopped imitating Chinese style after the Mongol invasion, then they start developing their own style, resulting with what we're familiar today, the zen garden

+Tiwinee Exactly. School of Life is not very reliable as a source, be vigilant.

+Jim Robinson I found information about the Japanese gardens hidden in the upload of the rocks in Eastern philosophy

yeah

+The School of Life I'd highly recommend looking at Luc Ferry's The New Ecological Order, which touches on this subject, and puts a lot of these issues in historical perspective as well. Ferry argues for a humanist approach to ecology, and champions French gardens along the way.

+Brady Licht There is a book called "Gardening" of the "Philosophy for Everyone collection. I am not sure it speaks of this, as I have not read it, but it might be what you are looking for!

+Rodrigo N. Almeida Apparently there's a chapter devoted to Lafayette's American garden, which ironically enough was influenced more by the English than the French traditions.

+Brady Licht Maybe you'll enjoy learning about permaculture. It is kind of the synthesis of these two philosphies, in that it strives to work with (and not against) nature to design regenerative and productive environments.

+Brady Licht You might also enjoy Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy, which opposes two similar extremes - the apollonian and the dionysian: the idealized dream and the primal dance.

+Austin Hughes At least they agreed on one thing.

+Yamapopi Hahahahah

It was more a video about gardening philosophy than about "the best garden" (an open question). That being said, presenting Chinese-style and for example Japanese zen or rock gardens could be a good idea.

+The Gambler I like your precision

+LemonadeMouthSomebod He's a French gardener.

+inflatablemeat I'd actually love to have one later in my life :)

Yes! And Enligthenment vs Romanticism.

Snarf Lol. As if there was no Enlightenment in Britain. Read Gertrude Himmelfarb or Roy Porter or Alan Macfarlane for that matter. Nationalism and socialism both originate in the French Revolution. Every 20thC totalitarian ideology, left and right , comes from the French Revolution. It’s the French version of the Enlightenment versus the British version of the Enlightenment, rationalism v pragmatism. Gertrude Himmelfarb expressly praises the British ‘Enlightenment’ for its sense of decency, benevolence and humanitarianism and criticizes the French version for its insistence on extreme rationality masking a callous elitism and contempt for the masses and eventually leading to the terror and horrors of the the revolution. And you should read what atrocities occurred in France; Even in Arras, where the Jacobin leader Lebon observed the mass guillotinings from his balcony with his dear wife, the decapitated corpses of men and women were undressed and then bound together in obscene poses as batteries nationales maniacs out of Sade's 120 Nights of Sodom. Similar practices took place in the Noyades in the Loire where men and women were tied together naked and then thrown still alive into the river as a "repubilican wedding." When the mob couldn't find enough men and women, they organized the "tying of the knot" in homosexual fashion. Carrier, who also finally ended up losing his head, was the director of all this. He called these atrocities, Le flambeau de la philosophie, an expression he got from the Marquis de Sade. Quite naturally the main victims of these male-perpetrated atrocities were women (as well as their children, often murdered before their eyes.) The sadistic misogyny of the Revolution reached unbelievable proportions. wikispooks.com/w/images/e/e7/Operation_Parricide_Sade_Robespierre_&_the_French_Revolution.pdf

Andre Le Notre* quite*

Smoke Weed Every Day! 420 Blaze!$$$$$

+Jihadi John Don't talk to me about cringe. You haven't seen the cringe I'v seen.

Thanks for replying. I am currently working my way through your curriculum playlist. You, as well as Mr. de Botton's books, have been of great help to me in rekindling a love for literature and philosophy, as well as dealing with my depression. I am currently reading Dostoevsky's Notes from a Dead House because you in one of your videos suggested that certain more pessimistic novels can be comforting when in a bad place, and thus far his descriptions of the humanity he finds even in such a terrible situation (in a Siberian labour camp) has been strangely consoling to me.

Ola Aksnes Not everyone has the same definition of beauty.

Indeed, but is not a human opinion malleable too? Is it not possibly that the beauty you look for exists in the world already, if not for the fact that you look past it to find something else? Remember what Epicurus pointed out about human desire. Not settling for anything means eventually wanting more. Perfection swallows all, but a great paint once said that you should have no fear of it, for you will never achieve it. For me the fact that there are different definitions of beauty is not an argument in favor of the French style of gardening, the French style forces an ideal upon the world. It takes up space, makes itself large and, at times, pompous. The British, and by a certain extension, the Wabi-Sabi approach accepts the things around it, takes its lessons on beauty from nature itself. That inexplicable essence which remains so fleeting. If you find nothing in this world that has beauty, then I truly wonder where your definition of beauty comes from. Where does this human appreciation for form come from? I think it comes from nature, not that it is something inherent in the human being. In the end, I still stand by what I said, that the French method of gardening represents striding against what is basically the human condition, being born to freedom in a world we do not understand. The other two speaks to me of acceptance. Quiet when there is noise, and harmony with the flows and forms of the world. Akutagawa once wrote: "Ah, what is the life of a human being - a drop of dew, a flash of lightning?".

+Robin Bigret He is swiss born.

+carpo719 "Hazards" would certainly be interesting. :D

+sammu el Scotney Castle.

+Jaoo Asiz Look at their video about the philosophy of rocks

+motto17 What are you talking about. There's practically 1500 years between French Gardens and the fall of Roman influence in France.

Romans influenced most of Europe with courtyard gardens, they introduced plants such as Lavender (even though lavender is renowned in France!) The romans where perfectionists, they used quartering, geometric shapes just like the French. Just look at roman court yards, u can't say it wasn't influenced. Trends come and go but the principles and phycology behind gardens will still remain the same for another 2000 years. (Besides, the romans were influenced by the greeks, Egyptions and Persians so the influence goes back further!)

motto17... We must then go back to the first cave mens whom introduced us to art and painting... Micheal Angelo also painted walls so the influence is clear even 35'000 year back.

I think its fair to say Michael Angelo influences art today, time doesn't necessary change how we feel about art or how gardens are created. The main difference is gardens where a lot more practical as plants where used more for medicines and a recourse. Where as today they are more for ornamental purposes.

Queen Janeway. Yes haha