The Blackwell Guide to Aesthetics is the most authoritativesurvey of the central issues in contemporary aesthetics available.The volume features eighteen newly commissioned papers on theevaluation of art, the interpretation of art, and many other formsof art such as literature, movies, and music. Provides a guide to the central traditional and cutting edgeissues in aesthetics today. Written by a distinguished cast of contributors, includingPeter Kivy, George Dickie, Noël Carroll, Paul Guyer, TedCohen, Marcia Eaton, Joseph Margolis, Berys Gaut, NicholasWolterstrorff, Susan Feagin, Peter Lamarque, Stein Olsen, FrancisSparshott, Alan Goldman, Jenefer Robinson, Mary Mothersill, DonaldCrawford, Philip Alperson, Laurent Stern and Amie Thomasson. Functions as the ideal text for undergraduate and graduatecourses in aesthetics, art theory, and philosophy of art.

"The Blackwell Guide to Aesthetics" is one of the most authoritative surveys of the central issues in contemporary aesthetics available. The volume features eighteen newly-commissioned essays on the evaluation of art, the interpretation of art, and forms of art such as literature, movies, dance, and music. Written in clear and accessible prose by an assembly of some of the most distinguished philosophers of art, these essays develop the themes, discuss the problems, and evaluate the arguments of the main topics in the field. An excellent resource for students and scholars alike, this book provides a guide to the central, traditional questions as well as the cutting-edge issues in aesthetics today. The contributors are Peter Kivy, George Dickie, Noel Carroll, Paul Guyer, Ted Cohen, Marcia Muelder Eaton, Joseph Margolis, Berys Gaut, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Susan Feagin, Peter Lamarque, Stein Haugom Olsen, Francis Sparshott, Alan Goldman, Jenefer Robinson, Mary Mothersill, Donald W. Crawford, Philip Alperson, Laurent Stern, and Amie L. Thomasson.

A revised second edition of the bestselling anthology on the major figures and themes in aesthetics and philosophy of art, the ideal resource for a comprehensive introduction to the study of aesthetics Aesthetics: A Comprehensive Anthology offers a well-rounded and thorough introduction to the evolution of modern thought on aesthetics. In a collection of over 60 readings, focused primarily on the Western tradition, this text includes works from key figures such as Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Danto, and others. Broad in scope, this volume also contains contemporary works on the value of art, frequently-discussed continental texts, modern perspectives on feminist philosophy of art, and essays by authors outside of the community of academic philosophy, thereby immersing readers in an inclusive and balanced survey of aesthetics. The new second edition has been updated with contemporary essays, expanding the volume’s coverage to include the value of art, artistic worth and personal taste, questions of aesthetic experience, and contemporary debates on and new theories of art. This edition also incorporates new and more standard translations of Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment and Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation, as well as texts by Rousseau, Hegel, DuBois, Alain Locke, Budd, Robinson, Saito, Eaton and Levinson. Presents a comprehensive selection of introductory readings on aesthetics and philosophy of art Helps readers gain a deep historical understanding and clear perspective on contemporary questions in the field Offers new essays specifically selected to promote inclusivity and to highlight contemporary discussions Introduces new essays on topics such as environmental and everyday aesthetics, evolutionary aesthetics, and the connections between aesthetics and ethics Appropriate for both beginning and advanced students of philosophical aesthetics, this selection of texts initiates readers into the study of the foundations of and central developments in aesthetic thought.

A reprint of the Library of Liberal Arts edition of 1965. Croce's Guide presents one of the clearest and strongest defenses of the intuitive nature of art in Western philosophical thought.

This volume is a fascinating introduction to the core themes and basic methods of aesthetics and the philosophy of art. Providing an analytic and historical treatment of the issues, and including many illustrative examples to both motivate and reinforce theoretical discussion, An Introduction to Aesthetics d is the ideal course book for the philosophical novice. It includes an Appendix (containing the texts referred to in the book), a comprehensive Glossary and further reading suggestions to help the student reader develop a deeper comprehension of the field.

Explaining what art is and what’s not art. What is art? Why do we find some things beautiful but not others? Is it wrong to share MP3s? These are just some of the questions explored by aesthetics, the philosophy of art. In this sweeping introduction, Charles Taliaferro skilfully guides us through different theories of art and beauty, tackling issues such as who owns art and what happens when art and morality collide. From Plato on poetry to Ringo Starr on the drums, this is a perfect introductory text for anyone interested in the fascinating questions art can raise.

Questions about the nature of beauty and the relation between morality and art were among the earliest discussed by ancient philosophers. And today, a host of new issues has been prompted by recent developments in the arts and in philosophy, testifying to a great revival of interest in aesthetics and literary criticism. The nature of representation, the relation between art and truth, and the criteria for interpretation are among the most debated problems in contemporary philosophy. This reference series, centred on analytic philosophy but also covering important aspects of the continental tradition and of non-Western philosophies, is made up of a number of volumes each dealing with a particular subject area. Taken together the series offers a comprehensive survey of philosophy as a whole. The entries in each volume combine summarized information on names, terms and moverments and each essay is also supported by a selective bibliography. Alphabetically arranged, the 130 articles in this volume provide comprehensive coverage of the main topics and writers in this area of aesthetics. The Companion will serve students of philosophy, literary criticism and cultural studies - as well as the general reader - both as a work of reference and, with its many substantial essays, as a guide to the best thinking about the arts in the late twentieth century.