180180 SE Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art (2019S)

Art is all around us, and human beings have been engaging in what we would call aesthetic and artistic activities for at least forty thousand years, drawing animals on cave walls, playing music on bone flutes, and sculpting human figures, and decorating their bodies. Is there something in common to all these activities that we can say defines art? Relatedly, what would we say the artwork is: a physical object, an activity, a mental object, or an abstract object? Should we give the same answer for musical works and sculptures? When we say something is beautiful, are we attributing a property to that thing, or merely expressing a personal liking? What can we say about that experience of finding something beautiful it a unique kind of experience, unlike anything else? What is the right approach to the interpretation of works of art? And what makes art something that we value? We will examine all of these questions, aided by readings from contemporary philosophers in the analytic tradition.