Aesthetics

Aesthetics is the philosophical study of art and the aesthetic. The aesthetic comprises, among other things, aesthetic properties (for example, beauty), aesthetic judgments, aesthetic concepts, aesthetic experiences, aesthetic pleasure, and aesthetic sensitivity or taste. Alexander Baumgarten (1714-1762) is usually credited for having given the name ‘aesthetics’ to this field of inquiry, but the field itself is approximately as old as philosophy.

The two pre-20th century works that have had the greatest impact on contemporary discussions in aesthetics probably are Hume 1875 and Kant 2007. 20th century works that have had a considerable impact include Goodman 1976, Wollheim 1968, Walton 1970, Scruton 1983, and Walton 1990, as well as the essays posthumously collected in Sibley et al 2001. Excerpts and chapters from these works are included in Lamarque & Olsen 2003, an excellent anthology that also includes influential papers by Monroe Beardsley, Malcolm Budd, Arthur Danto, George Dickie, Peter Kivy, Jerrold Levinson, and Jenefer Robinson. A comparable anthology is Cahn & Meskin 2008. Other useful (but less comprehensive) anthologies are Janaway 2008 and Ridley & Neill 2007.