Question

speech for art and asthetics for asl

Answer 1

Art is not the only object to draw interest of this pleasurable kind: hobbies and travel are further examples, and sport yet another, as was mentioned briefly above. In particular, the broadening of the aesthetic tradition in recent years has led theorists to give more attention to sport. David Best, for instance, writing on sport and its likeness to art, highlighted how close sport is to the purely aesthetic. But he wanted to limit sport to this, and insisted it had no relevance to ethics. Best saw art forms as distinguished expressly by their having the capacity to comment on life situations, and hence bring in moral considerations. No sport had this further capacity, he thought, although the enjoyment of many sports may undoubtedly be aesthetic. But many art forms perhaps more clearly called “craft-forms” as a result also do not comment on life situations overmuch, for example, décor, abstract painting, and non narrative ballet. And there are many sports which are preeminently seen in moral, “character-building” terms, for example, mountaineering, and the various combat sports (like boxing and wrestling). sports like gymnastics, diving, and synchronized swimming, which are the ones he claims are aesthetic, and on the other hand the “achievement,” or “purposive’ sports, like those combat sports above. Task sports have less “art” in them, since they are not as creative as the purposive ones.

Answer 2

1. Theoretical Aesthetics

Theoretical aesthetics is like theoretical physics. By its sophistication it makes a powerful demand on a student’s intelligence. It should attract only the bravest for there is no career in it outside the university. The relationship of aesthetics to philosophy will help us see the connection of aesthetics to all university disciplines.

The New Aesthetics and Philosophy

The subjects of philosophy and art are virtual opposites. Philosophy emphasizes thought and reason and art emphasizes human feeling and spirit. So, we are already in trouble. Philosophers cannot explain art as though they were the final authority. This would be elitist and it would be foolish to try it, as postmodernists say with conviction.

But philosophy can supply insight into the intelligence of art. Let me offer an image of how philosophical ideas help us understand certain aspects of this new field.

 Below are polar ideas in philosophy. Polar ideas are contrary or contradictory to one another. The taxonomic image in Table 1 should prepare our thinking about how a philosophy of aesthetics develops in a university. 

The analysis of D.W. Gotshalk is based on contrary principles, but we now expand their number. A new philosophy of aesthetics now asks questions about how contrary ideas touch every discipline. We about to embark on a new venture in aesthetics.

Table 1 An Image of Academic Culture