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Living Debates in Aesthetics

An Anthology

  • Textbook
Living Debates in Aesthetics cover

Living Debates in Aesthetics

An Anthology

  • Textbook
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Pre-order. Available 04 Mar 2027
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Description

With articles written only by living authors, this anthology serves as an introduction to the central issues in art occupying philosophers today.

Living Debates in Aesthetics curates a broad selection of influential articles published over the last 20 years. Focusing exclusively on contemporary discussions, it covers topics connected to the new age of digital art, video games, changing copyright laws about images, art on the streets, and art of the body.

Each chapter contains three articles which provide opposing viewpoints. This debate structure shows how philosophers engage in ongoing debates about everyday issues. From what is wrong to female nudes to the work of immoral artists, we are invited to view all sides of a debate and learn how to construct arguments.

Featuring a diverse and balanced line-up of authors, this anthology represents an exciting mix of artworks including computer art, food, stand-up comedy and sport. Articles tackle pressing issues in race, cultural appropriation and cancel culture, bringing to life philosophical ideas about taste, experience, and judgement. An accompanying online website offers further engagement through specially-commissioned interviews with each of the authors.

What Living Debates in Aesthetics reveals is that ideas in aesthetics are all around us. Through this wide and varied collection of recent writing by esteemed philosophers we learn exactly why the objects and experiences we encounter on a daily basis are philosophically interesting.

For anyone looking for an inclusive and relevant introduction to aesthetics this is the place to start.

Table of Contents

Notes on Contributors
Copyright Permissions
Acknowledgements
Living Debates in Aesthetics: An Introduction, Sarah Worth

PART I: NEW ARTS
Chapter 1. Tattoos
Introduction
1.1 Are Tattoos Art? Nicolas Michaud
1.2 Ink, Art and Expression: Philosophical Questions about Tattoos, Eva Dadlez
1.3 The Art of Tattoos, Laura Sizer

Chapter 2. Art and AI
Introduction
2.1 Authorship, Artificial and Otherwise, Darren Hick
2.2 Step Away from the Chatbot: a Letter to a Student about AI and Creativity, Lindsay Brainard
2.3 A First Date with AI Art: Is This the Future You Wanted? Boomer Trujillo

PART II: WHO IS AN ARTIST?
Chapter 3. Being Othered in the Artworld
Introduction
3.1 The Role of Luck in Originality and Creativity, Peg Brand
3.2 Against Outsider Art, Jesse Prinz
3.3 African Art in Deep Time: De-race-ing Aesthetics and De-racializing Visual Art, Nkiru Nzegwu

Chapter 4. Joint Authorship
Introduction
4.1 Artistic Collaboration and the Completion of Works of Art, Paisley Livingston and Carol Archer
4.2 "We" Did It: From Mere Contributors to Coauthors, Sondra Bacharach and Deborah Tollefson
4.3 Authorship, Co-authorship, and Multiple authorship, Darren Hick

PART III: ETHICS AND AESTHETICS
Chapter 5. Video Games
Introduction
5.1 Five ways not to solve the Gamer's Dilemma, Morgan Luck
5. 2 Video Games and Virtual Sadism, Christopher Bartel
5.3 Virtual actions as depictions, Karim Nader

Chapter 6. Cultural Appropriation
Introduction
6.1 Profound Offense and Cultural Appropriation, James O. Young
6.2 Cultural Appropriation and the Intimacy of Groups, Thi Nguyen and Matthew Strohl
6.3 Cultural Appropriation and Oppression, Erich Hatala Matthes

PART IV: BEAUTY AND BODIES

Chapter 7. Beauty, Power and Recognition
Introduction
7.1 African American Dance--Philosophy, Aesthetics, and 'Beauty', Thomas F. De Frantz
7.2 Mixed Race Looks, Ronald Sundstrom
7.3 Beyond the call of Beauty: Everyday Aesthetic Demands Under Patriarchy, Alfred Archer and Lauren Ware

Chapter 8. Aesthetics of Bodies
Introduction
8.1 Beauty Between Disability and Gender: Frida Kahlo in Paper Dolls, Fedwa Malti-Douglas 8.2 The naked truth: disability, sexual objectification, and the ESPN Body Issue, Charlene Weaving and Jessica Samson
8.3 Taste in Bodies and Fat Oppression, A. W. Eaton

PART V: WHO DECIDES?
Chapter 9. Good Taste
Introduction
9.1 Global Standpoint Aesthetics, David Gandolfo & Sarah Worth
9.2. Acquired Taste, Kevin Melchionne
9.3 Sideways: Does Good Taste Improve Moral Character? Kevin Sweeney

Chapter 10. Bad Taste
Introduction
10.1 Appreciating Bad Art John Dyck and Matt Johnson
10.2 Bad Art and Good Taste Per Algander
10.3 The Puzzle of Good Bad Movies Uku Tooming

PART VI: WHEN AND WHERE IS AESTHETICS
Chapter 11. Stand-Up Comedy
Introduction
11. 1 Why (not) philosophy of stand-up comedy? Sheila Lintott
11.2 Feminist Anger and Joy from Roseanne Barr to Margaret Cho and Wanda Sykes, Cynthia Willett and Julie Willett
11.3 Is Stand-Up Comedy Art? Ian Brodie

Chapter 12. Everyday Aesthetics
Introduction
12.1The Definition of Everyday Aesthetics, Kevin Melchionne
12.2 Experience of Awe: An Expansive Approach to Everyday Aesthetics, Thomas Leddy
12.3 The Role of Imperfection in Everyday Aesthetics, Yuriko Saito

PART VII: AESTHETICS OF THE STREETS
Chapter 13. Fashion
Introduction
13.1 Fashion Fluid: Unisex Fashion in a Binary World, Rossen Ventzislavov
13.2 Fashion Fluidity-Who, When, How? Cynthia Freeland
13.3 Fashion's Solidity, Gwen Grewal

Chapter 14. Street Art
Introduction
14.1 Street Art: The Transfiguration of the Commonplaces, Nick Riggle
14.2 Street art and consent, Sandra Bacharach
14.3 Towards a politics of whimsy: yarn bombing the city, Joanna Mann

PART VIII: BAD ART
Chapter 15. Fraudulent and Authentic
Introduction
15. 1 What Is Wrong with an Art Forgery?: An Anthropological Perspective, Ross Bowden
15. 2 Forgeries and Art Evaluation: An Argument for Dualism in Aesthetics, Tomas Kulka
15. 3 Forgery and the Corruption of Aesthetic Understanding, Sherri Irvin

Chapter 16. Morally Questionable Art
Introduction
16. 1 Art by Jerks, Bernard Wills and Jason Holt
16.2 Ordinary Monsters: Ethical Criticism and the lives of Artists, Christopher Bartel
16. 3 When Good Art Is Bad: Educating the Critical Viewer, Laura D'Olimpio

Index

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 04 Mar 2027
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Pages 624
ISBN 9781350539983
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions 234 x 156 mm
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Anthology Editor

Sarah Worth

Sarah E. Worth is Professor of Philosophy at Furma…

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