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Paper 4 - Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art > Aesthetics > Flashcards

Aesthetics Flashcards

1
Q

What are the arguments in regards to formalism vs. anti-formalism? (For, Objections, Against, Objections)

A
  • Kant
  • Dickie
  • Walton
  • What is the correct category?
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2
Q

What is your line of argument in regards to formalism vs. anti-formalism? (Two points)

A
  • Whilst Kant provides us with an account of how we perhaps intuitively believe to judge art, “for its own sake”, it doesn’t account for the particular phenomenon that occurs when judging art.
  • Walton does a better job in explaining the particular nature of viewing nature which is more than simply for the piece’s own sake.
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3
Q

What is formalism?

A

The view that we aesthetically judge art purely on the form of the piece.

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4
Q

What is the form of an object?

A

The look, sound, words, texture…

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5
Q

What does formalism have to do with the disinterested account?

A

We should aesthetically judge disinterested with the outside world or context.

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6
Q

When can we make aesthetic judgements about art according to formalism?

A

In the presence of the piece.

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7
Q

What is Kant’s argument for formalism? (Two points)

A
  • Aesthetic judgements are based on a particular experience, affect, or attitude.
  • The disinterested attitude can be put into two ways.
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8
Q

What are the two ways the disinterested attitude can be put according to Kant?

A
  • Negative disinterest: if an attitude towards an item is aesthetic, then it is not due to the way the item satisfies one’s desires, needs, or worldly projects.
  • Positive disinterest: if an attitude towards an item is aesthetic, then it is due to sympathetic attention to, or contemplation of, the item for its own sake.
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9
Q

What are the benfits of Kant’s formalism?

A

We like to think that we judge a piece’s aesthetics based solely on the art itself without being influenced by external factors.

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10
Q

What are the objections to formalism? (Three points)

A
  • It does not explain why we see identical pieces in different aesthetic ways.
  • We seem to view pieces differently according to context.
  • It encourages us to view criticism as different than aesthetic appreciation.
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11
Q

In what way do we view identical pieces in. different aesthetic ways?

A

Take Duchamp’s urinal which we take to be aesthetically valuable but not a normal urinal.

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12
Q

In what way do we view pieces differently in different contexts?

A

Take the Guarnica example, in which a different society will view Picasso’s Guarnica as calm.

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13
Q

In what way does formalism seem to argue that criticism is different to aesthetic appreciation?

A

Kant claims that disinterest is needed but when we critique a piece, we do so with the intention of judging it according to other pieces.

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14
Q

What is a possible rebuttal to the objections to formalism?

A

Perhaps formalism is an ideal of how we should view art but not the way it is.

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15
Q

What is anti-formalism?

A

The view that we aesthetically judge a piece with the formal, origins, and art-historical categories in mind.

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16
Q

What is Walton’s argument for anti-formalism?

A

When we view a bust, we do not see it as a severed head, but rather in the conext that it is a bust.

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17
Q

What are the three ways that Walton distinguishes properties of a piece for a given category?

A
  • Standard
  • Variable
    -Contra-standard
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18
Q

What is the difference between variable and contra-standard properties according to Walton?

A

Variable properties do not fit into a category whereas contra-standard goes against a category.

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19
Q

What are the benefits of Walton’s anti-formalism?

A

It accounts for the Guarnica example.

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20
Q

What are the objections to Walton’s anti-formalism? (Two points)

A
  • How do we decide which is the right category?
  • Can we not compare between categories?
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21
Q

Explain the how doe we decide which is the right category objection to Walton’s anti-formalism?

A

In the Guarnica case, is the society that views it as calm correct or are we, that view it a visceral piece, correct?

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22
Q

What is a possible rebuttal to the can we compare across categories objection to Walton’s anti-formalism?

A

We are simply comparing using wider categories such as ‘painting’.

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23
Q

What are the arguments in regards to realism vs. antirealism? (For, Objections, For, Against, Objections, Rebuttal)

A
  • Kant
  • Testimony is worthless
  • Hill
  • Meskin
  • Hill
  • Shafer
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24
Q

What is your line of argument in regards to to realism vs. antirealism?

A
  • Whilst Kant’s theory fails as it determines that testimony is worthless, Hill proviides a more convincing antirealist account.
  • Both realist account are unconvincing due to their seemingly appeal to objective beauty.
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25
Q

What is Kant’s argument for antirealism? (Three points)

A
  • Argues that aesthetic values exist mind-dependently and are a product of our experiences.
  • Argues that we treat aesthetic testimony differently than normal testimony.
  • Also claims that our aesthetic judgements are peculiar.
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26
Q

In what way is aesthetic testimony different to normal testimony according to Kant?

A

We are more reluctant to accept aesthetic testimony without having experienced it.

27
Q

In what two ways are aesthetic judgements peculiar according to Kant?

A
  • We seem to veiw them objectively, when I say something to be beautiful we expect people to agree with us.
  • They are also clearly subjective as there is no determinable proof.
28
Q

Can we be correct about aesthetic judgements according to Kant?

A

Yes, whilst they are mind-dependent, we come to aesthetic judgements using the same capacities.

29
Q

What capacities to we all use when making aesthetic judgements according to Kant?

A

Understanding and imagination

30
Q

Where does aesthetic disagreement come from according to Kant?

A

From someone not using the capacities correctly when evaluating art.

31
Q

What are the benefits of Kant’s antirealism? (Two points)

A
  • It intuitively captures the idea that we view aesthetic testimony differently to normal testimony.
  • I puts the emphasis on percieving the piece before judging.
32
Q

What is an objection to Kant’s antirealism?

A

It makes aesthetic testimony worthless.

33
Q

What is a possible response to the objection to Kant’s antirealism?

A

Perhaps testimony does have value in helping us use our cognitive faculties better.

34
Q

What is Hill’s argument for antirealism? (Three points)

A
  • We need both aesthetic virtue and aesthetic understanding.
  • We need to make aesthetic judgements for the right reasons.
  • Testimony may give us the right reasons but not understanding.
35
Q

What is aesthetic virtue according to Hill? (Two points)

A
  • The orientation of the whole person towards aesthetic values and reasons.
  • Right action, non-cognitive attitudes, and cognitive attitudes.
36
Q

What are non-cognitive and cognitive attitudes according to Hill’s antirealism?

A
  • Right motivations and feelings.
  • Right judgements for the right reasons.
37
Q

What is aesthetic understanding according to Hill’s antirealism?

A

The grasp of the reasons for an evaluation including responsiveness.

38
Q

What are right reasons according to Hill? (Two points)

A
  • They are connecting properties of the work to the right evaluation.
  • Blue as calming for example
39
Q

What is the right response/sensitivity according to Hill’s antirealism?

A

Reacting to reasons in the right way, for example, not laughing in a sad scene.

40
Q

What do we need for aesthetic understanding?

A

To percieve the work itself.

41
Q

What is the realist view of aesthetic values?

A

That they exist mind-independently.

42
Q

What is Meskin’s deflationism? (Two points)

A
  • Distinguishing two questions arising from the aesthetic testimony debate.
  • Arguing that it is in our belief of relativism that causes the difference between aesthetic testimony and normal testimony.
43
Q

What are the two questions that Meskin picks out regard aesthetic testimony?

A
  • Psychological: why are we reluctant to accept aesthetic testimony?
  • Epistemic: why does aesthetic testimony lack the epistemic value that other testimony does?
44
Q

What is the relativist account according to Meskin?

A

X is beautiful from A’s perspective and ugly from B’s.

45
Q

What is the issue with relativism?

A

Its inability to account for geniune disagreement.

46
Q

How does Meskin answer the two questions he presents in regards to why we do not accept aesthetic testimony?

A
  • Psychological: our belief in relativism that underlines our reluctance to accept aesthetic testimony.
  • Epistemic: it is mostly true that our aesthetic judgments are not very accurate, making aesthetic testimony not very reliable.
47
Q

What does Meskin say about ideal judges?

A

States that only ideal judges could provide accurate aesthetic testimonies.

48
Q

What is the conclusion of Meskin?

A

That there are mind-independent aesthetic values which explain geniune disagreement, but our belief in relativism is what makes us reluctant to accept aesthetic testimony.

49
Q

What is the objection Hill presents to Meskin?

A

Even if we have ideal judges, we still would be reluctant to accept their testimony.

50
Q

What is a key downside to aesthetic value realism?

A

It doesn’t seem to be able to explain when two people disagree on aesthetic value but are both deemed correct.

51
Q

How does Shafer seem to try and handle the main issue of realism?

A

Claims that realism can handle faultless disagreement by splitting first-order and second-order beliefs.

52
Q

How does Shafer distinguish between first-order and second-order beliefs in regards to realism? (Two points)

A
  • First-order belief would be something like ‘Matisse is better’.
  • Second-order belief would be something like ‘If this is your aesthetic experience, form this kind of aesthetic judgement’.
53
Q

What does Shafer argue the realist would say about first and second order beliefs? (Two points)

A
  • You can be wrong with your first-order beliefs but correct in second-order beliefs, leading to faultless disagreement.
  • Simply means that one had erronous experience but made the correct judgement from their experience.
54
Q

What are the arguments in regards to how we should appreciate nature? (For, Objection, Alternative, Objection, Alternative, Objection, Rebuttal)

A
  • Object model
  • Transformation
  • Landscape model
  • Distortion and limitation
  • Environmental model
  • Scientific knowledge?
  • Relevance
55
Q

What is the object model form of appreciation of nature? (Three points)

A
  • It is comparable to non-representational form sculptures.
  • Remove it from the context and appreciate the natural object’s individual aesthetic properties.
  • We pick flowers, turning them into quasi-art objects.
56
Q

What is the objection the object model of appreciating art?

A

We are transforming art into an artifact which does not capture what we appreciate of art.

57
Q

What can you compare the object model way of appreciating art to?

A

The ready-mades.

58
Q

What is the argument for the landscape model of appreciating art? (Three points)

A
  • We should appreciate nature the same way as landscape paintings.
  • This makes sense as we view nature from a certain perspective.
  • We have viewpoints in mountains that seem to point to a landscape model.
59
Q

What are the objections to the landscape model of appreciating art? (Three points)

A
  • We are both limiting and distorting our appreciation of nature.
  • We shouldn’t view nature purely visually
  • It could lead us to focus conservation on visually beautiful scenery over others.
60
Q

What is the argument for the enviromental model of appreciating art? (Three points)

A
  • Nature is a setting, something unobtrusive which we do not attend to all at once.
  • We have a certain knowledge of nature which allows us to pick our foci to appreciate.
  • Scientific knowledge would allow us to appreciate the unity of nature.
61
Q

What two things must we cultivate in order to appreciate nature according to the enviromental model?

A

Common sense and scientific knowledge.

62
Q

What is comparable to the art-historian in regards to appreciating nature?

A

The ecologist.

63
Q

What are the objections to the enviromental model of appreciating nature? (Three points)

A
  • We do not need scientific knowledge in order to appreciate nature.
  • What kind of scientific knowledge do we need?
  • Does unity make all of nature equally valuable?
64
Q

What is Mathew’s response to what scientific knowledge is necessary to appreciate art? (Two points)

A
  • Only those relevant to our perception of nature.
  • She assues Walton’s standard/variable/contra-standard properties and art categories.

Paper 4 - Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art (4 decks)

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