Philosophy of Art

Catalog description

This course introduces students to some of the central philosophical themes, topics, and questions concerning the nature of art, aesthetic experience, and aesthetic value. What makes some artifact, or some arrangement of words or sounds, or some movement of bodies a work of art? How can something–like the urinal in Duchamp’s Fountain –constitute art in one context but not in another? What is the nature of aesthetic value, and how does it differ from, say, moral value? What are the standards of aesthetic appraisal and criticism? What is the nature and value of originality and authenticity in art? Can art be morally good or bad, or just artists? Should we reject art produced by morally bad artists? Should actors refrain from portraying characters of different races or ethnicities? Why does wordless music evoke emotional responses? Why do we enjoy the experience of pity or sadness while watching tragedy or fear while reading horror? Students will consider these questions and others through the close and critical reading of challenging philosophical texts, reconstruction and evaluation of philosophical arguments, and independent reflection and reasoning on topics and positions within philosophy of art and aesthetics. Finally, students will examine works of art themselves using the philosophical frameworks studied, illustrating and perhaps challenging some of these philosophical perspectives on art, aesthetic experience, and aesthetic value.