Art-Making as Problem-Solving A Computational Philosophy of Art

What is art-making? What is it in virtue of which an artifact counts as a work of art? In this book, Melvin Chen contends that art-making is best understood in the context of problem-solving. Works of art are various ways in which artists solve problems and overcome obstacles, while typically exhibiting creative thinking. Using  the theory of problem-solving, its theoretical milieu, and various philosophical tools, Chen builds a robust, coherent, and consistent computationalist approach to art-making and the production of works of art. This computationalist approach to art-making and the production of works of art, in turn, is articulated against the backdrop of an information-theoretic philosophy of art. This computationalist approach takes discussions in the philosophy of art into the twenty-first century.

1 Introduction.- 2 The Informational Turn in Philosophy.- 3 Towards an Information-theoretic Philosophy of Art.- 4 Towards a Computationalist Approach to Art-making.- 5 The Computationalist Theory of Problem-solving.- 6 Theorizing about Art.- 7 The Goals of Art.- 8 The Central Artistic Task.- 9 The Analogy between Logic and Art.- 10 The Creative Aspect of Art-making.- 11 The Ontological Status of Works of Art.- 12 Symbol Systems.- 13 Machine Art.- 14 Conclusion.

Melvin Chen is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Faculty Member of the University Scholars Programme at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.