Abstract: Western traditional natural aesthetics has a strong color of “subjectivity”: nature itself lacks aesthetic value. The reason why it is judged as “beautiful” is that its certain characteristics are in line with the aesthetic needs of human beings (sensory level or spiritual level). This kind of concept not only makes natural aesthetics become a vassal of human will and lose the meaning and value of independent existence， but also causes the tension between humans and nature and intensifies the ecological crisis. Carlson advocates “objectivity”， namely， the establishment of an “object-oriented aesthetic appreciation theory”—“the nature itself and its factual attributes” as the research object， “appreciating the nature on its own terms” as the research method， and “deeply understanding and consciously respecting the intrinsic value of the nature” as the research goal. This theory not only meets the requirements of aesthetic reconstruction and can provide the theoretical basis for the legitimacy of natural aesthetics， but also meets the requirements of environmental protection theories， so that natural environmental aesthetics can become a solid foundation of environmental ethics. Thus， it is an appropriate path of natural aesthetics.

Key words: objectivity; subjectivity; aesthetic appreciation of nature; appropriateness; Allen Carlson