Pleasure, Preference and Value Studies in philosophical aesthetics

Philosophical aesthetics is an area in which many strands of contemporary philosophical thinking meet. The contributors to this volume are aware of the wider logical, epistemological, moral and metaphysical implications raised by conceptual problems specific to aesthetics. Three themes recur and are taken up from different angles in several of the papers: pleasure – its nature and role in the experience of art and beauty; preference – figuring prominently in aesthetic appraising, appreciating and judging; and value – aesthetic value in particular, and the status of value in general. As these themes interweave, the complexities of aesthetics bring into focus some of the central issues in the philosophy of mind. The authors argue their cases with professional expertise and perceptive understanding of the arts, making significant and original contributions. This book should be of interest not only to philosophers but also to the readers who know, care and theorise about the arts. All the essays were commissioned for this volume, which is part of an informal series of books emerging from meetings sponsored by the Thyssen Foundation.

Introduction; 1. Aesthetic value, objectivity and the fabric of the world John McDowell; 2. The possibility of aesthetic realism Philip Pettit; 3. The pleasures of taste Eva Schaper; 4. The communicability of feeling Barrie Falk; 5. Solid joys or fading pleasures R. A. Sharpe; 6. Beauty and attachment Anthony Savile; 7. Jokes Ted Cohen; 8. Belief and sincerity in poetry Malcolm Budd; 9. Autobiography and philosophical perplexity J. M. Cameron; Index.

Philosophical aesthetics is an area in which many strands of contemporary philosophical thinking meet. The contributors to this volume are aware of the wider logical, epistemological, moral and metaphysical implications raised by conceptual problems specific to aesthetics. This book should be of interest not only to philosophers but also to the readers who know, care and theorise about the arts.