Philosophy 110

This course is an introduction to aesthetics, the philosophy of art. Some of the questions that are central to this discipline and the we will take up are: What is the relationship between art, beauty, and truth? Is art a special vehicle for the expression of truth? What is the role of our cognitive faculties for the possibility of beauty? What is the work of art? How is art embedded within society, and what role does it play for a society?

The course will be divided into two main blocks: In the first block, we will focus on modern accounts of beauty and art. Our main focus will be on Kant’s account of beauty given in the Critique of Judgment. In addition to Kant’s account, we will discuss the views of Hume, Baumgarten, and Hegel.

In the second block, we will focus on the views of three figures from the 20th century, Heidegger, Arendt, and Benjamin. We will discuss how these figures think about the role of art and its relation to society, as well as how their views relate and contrast to the theories discussed in the first block of the course. This course is an introduction to aesthetics, the philosophy of art. Some of the questions that are central to this discipline and the we will take up are: What is the relationship between art, beauty, and truth? Is art a special vehicle for the expression of truth? What is the role of our cognitive faculties for the possibility of beauty? What is the work of art? How is art embedded within society, and what role does it play for a society?

The course will be divided into two main blocks: In the first block, we will focus on modern accounts of beauty and art. Our main focus will be on Kant’s account of beauty given in the Critique of Judgment. In addition to Kant’s account, we will discuss the views of Hume, Baumgarten, and Hegel.

In the second block, we will focus on the views of three figures from the 20th century, Heidegger, Arendt, and Benjamin. We will discuss how these figures think about the role of art and its relation to society, as well as how their views relate and contrast to the theories discussed in the first block of the course.