Aesthetics and Morality

Erscheinungsjahr 2007
ISBN: 978-0-8264-8524-3
Verlag: Continnuum-3PL

Buch, Englisch, 176 Seiten, Format (B × H): 145 mm x 222 mm, Gewicht: 356 g

Reihe: Continuum Aesthetics

Can - and should - a work of art have a moral value? Must a work of art be morally admirable in order to be aesthetically satisfying? Aesthetics and Morality is a stimulating, lucid and insightful inquiry into exactly these questions. Philosopher Elisabeth Schellekens explains and explores the major ideas and debates in aesthetics and moral philosophy, inviting readers to reflect on their own thinking about art and morality, and provides the philosophical knowledge and understanding to disentangle such thinking. This original, inspiring and entertaining book sheds valuable new light on our understanding of aesthetic and moral value, and the relationship between the two.

Aesthetic and moral value are often seen to go hand in hand. They do so not only practically, such as in our everyday assessments of artworks that raise moral questions, but also theoretically, such as in Kant’s theory that beauty is the symbol of morality. Some philosophers have argued that it is in the relation between aesthetic and moral value that the key to an adequate understanding of either notion lies. But difficult questions abound. Must a work of art be morally admirable in order to be aesthetically valuable? How, if at all, do our moral values shape our aesthetic judgements – and vice versa?

Aesthetics and Morality is a stimulating and insightful inquiry into precisely this set of questions. Elisabeth Schellekens explores the main ideas and debates at the intersection of aesthetics and moral philosophy. She invites readers to reflect on the nature of beauty, art and morality, and provides the philosophical knowledge to render such reflection more rigorous. This original, inspiring and entertaining book sheds valuable new light on a notably complex and challenging area of thought.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Schellekens, Elisabeth

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunst, allgemein Kunsttheorie, Kunstphilosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Ethik, Moralphilosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Ästhetik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction
Part I: The Limits of the Aesthetic
Chapter 1: Disentangling the Aesthetic
Chapter 2: The Values of Art
Part II: Art and Moral Value
Chapter 3: Art as a Source of Understanding
Chapter 4: Moral Convictions and Artistic Appreciation
Chapter 5: Good Art and Moral Purpose

Part III: Beauty and Moral Goodness
Chapter 6: Kant's Theory of Beauty, Moral Goodness and Freedom
Chapter 7: Sensibility to Value
Chapter 8: Beauty and Virtue of the Soul
Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Elisabeth Schellekens is Lecturer in Philosophy at Durham University, UK.