The contemplative life, as well as aptitudes of wonder, of awe and the exercise of imagination, seem to return to the centre of attention and in the ethical-philosophical debate. How are these dimensions understood and thematised within our increasingly technological and digital societies?

This is a contribution to the reflection on the ambivalent relation of urban dwellers to nature, torn between enchantment and valuation under the current circumstances of climate change. Taking trees as an illustration, it shows how eco-spiritual views and practices currently value them as good and ethical, while also making them object of economic valuations for institutions and structural regulations. In this ambivalent context notions of transcendence, and sacrality develop.