1. Aesthetics: general Introduction
1. What is aesthetics?
Etymology
Although Greek in origin (aisthetikos - pertaining to sense perception), the word was first introduced into philosophical discourse in 1735 by Gottlieb Baumgarten ( ).
Aesthetics: general introduction - 1

2. Aesthetics: general Introduction
Baumgarten used the word to refer to the general science of perception, & he treated “poetics” as a branch of aesthetics.
Contemporary usage - 3 senses
1. That aspect of anything which is beautiful or elegant
2. The theory behind an art-historical movement
Aesthetics: general introduction - 2

3. Aesthetics: general Introduction
3. The philosophy of art
A formal df. of philosophical aesthetics: “the critical and systematic reflection on fundamental questions about art.”
How philosophical aesthetics differs from art appreciation and art history.
Aesthetics: general introduction - 3

4. Aesthetics: general Introduction
Principal questions of philosophical aesthetics
The 2 principal ones
What is art?
What is good art?
Other questions
* Truth in art
Creativity
Aesthetics: general introduction - 4

5. Aesthetics: general Introduction
* Interpretation of works of art
* Theories of beauty
* Art & morality
Art & religion
Art & science
* The philosophy of the history of art
Aesthetics: general introduction - 5

6. Aesthetics: general Introduction
* High & low art
* Art criticism (the evaluation of art)
* The value of art
Aesthetics: general introduction - 6

7. Aesthetics: general Introduction
2. The concept of the fine arts
The project of Shiner's book: the exploration of the notion of art and its evolution
A reworking and expansion of ideas in Paul Oskar Kristeller's classic essay of   (Renaissance Thought and the Arts.   (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990)).
Aesthetics: general introduction - 7

8. Aesthetics: general Introduction
Problems which led Shiner to this project
How should African masks & medieval chalices be treated in museums?  What kind of a museum should they appear in?  What about quilts & fine furniture?  
Shiner's position:  The modern system of the arts is "not an essence or a fate," but something we have made (3). 
Aesthetics: general introduction - 8

9. Aesthetics: general Introduction
Shiner's periodization of Western history from the viewpoint of systems of the arts (roughly):
  1.  From ancient Greece to the 18th century -- no fundamental divisions
 Divisions of what?
  2.  18th century to middle 20th century -- "the great division" 
Aesthetics: general introduction - 9

10. Aesthetics: general Introduction
The contemporary system of the arts is "a recent historical construction" (5).
3.  Late 20th century continuing into the 21st century -- a new system
Shiner states a number of times that he is not asserting what ought to be with respect to a new system.  But does he remain faithful to this claim.
Aesthetics: general introduction - 10

11. Aesthetics: general Introduction
What are the divisions which occurred in the 18th century? 
        Answer in terms of 3 levels
        (1) art object
        (2) artist
        (3) experience of art
Aesthetics: general introduction - 11

12. Aesthetics: general Introduction
Shiner notes that most chapters in his book are organized around these three. 
Shiner refers to his position as anti-essentialist & compares it to Arthur Danto's essentialism (15).   What does Shiner mean by essentialist & anti-essentialist?
For Hugh of St. Victor, the mechanical arts belonged, with the exception of poetry & music, to craftsmen’s guilds. Thus they were not taught in the schools.
There is no medieval concept of a system of the fine arts.
Aesthetics: general introduction - 12

13. Aesthetics: general Introduction
What is the system of the arts today?  
3. The value of philosophical aesthetics
It is central to being human (Or is it? See Jared Diamond essay)
Enhances one’s understanding and appreciation of the fine arts, & this in turn enriches life
Enables one to distinguish between good and bad art
For Hugh of St. Victor, the mechanical arts belonged, with the exception of poetry & music, to craftsmen’s guilds. Thus they were not taught in the schools.
There is no medieval concept of a system of the fine arts.
Aesthetics: general introduction - 13

14. Aesthetics: general Introduction
Jared Diamond (“Animal Origins of Art,” in The Third Chimpanzee, 1992) on the origins of art
Emerged c. 40,000 yrs. ago
Is art uniquely human?
Chimp paintings
For Hugh of St. Victor, the mechanical arts belonged, with the exception of poetry & music, to craftsmen’s guilds. Thus they were not taught in the schools.
There is no medieval concept of a system of the fine arts.
Aesthetics: general introduction - 14

15. Aesthetics: general Introduction
Bowerbirds building of bowers
Purpose? To attract mates.
Do humans create works of art purely for disinterested contemplation?
Diamond: Humans create art because it has survival value and helps pass on genes.
For Hugh of St. Victor, the mechanical arts belonged, with the exception of poetry & music, to craftsmen’s guilds. Thus they were not taught in the schools.
There is no medieval concept of a system of the fine arts.
Aesthetics: general introduction - 15

16. Aesthetics: general Introduction
Thus in its origins, human art probably had a biological function.
An important caveat: Behaviors expand beyond their original functions. The creation of works of art has expanded well beyond its original purposes.
For Hugh of St. Victor, the mechanical arts belonged, with the exception of poetry & music, to craftsmen’s guilds. Thus they were not taught in the schools.
There is no medieval concept of a system of the fine arts.
Aesthetics: general introduction - 16