Aesthetics refers to the philosophy of art and the philosophy of beauty. Both fields are fraught with philosophically interesting and controversial debates. In the philosophy of art, there are fascinating positions, as well as conflicts, over 'what is art' and 'why should works of art be so important to us?'. The very distinction between 'art' and 'non-art' has been challenged by philosophers and artists alike. The meaning and evolution of art (or art criticism) is an ongoing and exciting field of inquiry, with differing views on the importance of creativity, originality, and ethical content (if a work of art promotes sexism or racism, is it necessarily bad art?), and whether a great work of art should stand the test of time. Philosophical reflections on beauty have sometimes run parallel to the philosophy of art, but they bring with them a wider set of issues. Today, many artists do not see beauty as a primary goal, and some of the most highly regarded works seem to be somewhat ugly. For many people, judgments of beauty and ugliness seem to be a matter entirely of taste. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is now a cliché. And yet beauty remains one of the most important themes in aesthetics, for many reasons. Historically, most art has been motivated by an interest in beauty, and this is clearly and widely culturally widespread, including not only the West but also Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Currently, there is a rivalry of philosophical interest over the role of beauty in contemporary art and in ethics. We will examine the reasons behind this rivalry. In Chapter 1, some philosophers may agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but then they propose that there are some ways of seeing that are more reliable than others. And in ethics today, it is almost commonplace to accept that some moral judgments are based on aesthetics and not just, for example, on science, history, institutions, and so on. The subtitle of a recent book on ‘Environmental Ethics’ tells us: From Beauty to Duty. Perhaps, seeing something as beautiful makes us more likely to protect it rather than exploit it.
Borrowed and translated from the Book 'Aesthetics:
A Beginner's Guide', by Charles Taliaferro, OneWorld Oxford, United Kingdom, 2011.
Photo Source:
