Aesthetics: The Key Thinkers

Description

Aesthetics: The Key Thinkers offers a comprehensive historical overview of the field of aesthetics. Eighteen specially commissioned essays introduce and explore the contributions of those philosophers who have shaped the subject, from its origins in the work of the ancient Greeks to contemporary developments in the 21st Century. The book reconstructs the history of aesthetics, clearly illustrating the most important attempts to address such crucial issues as the nature of aesthetic judgment, the status of art, and the place of the arts within society. Ideal for undergraduate students, the book lays the necessary foundations for a complete and thorough understanding of this fascinating subject.

Alessandro Giovannelli is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Lafayette College, USA.

With eighteen custom-written essays by experts in the field, this survey of leading writers on aesthetics and art from the ancients to the present day covers a full range of philosophical perspectives, including analytic, Continental and pragmatist. These accessible essays provide a comprehensive historical overview of philosophical aesthetics. -- Professor Stephen Davies, Department of Philosophy, University of Auckland, New Zealand There are now many guides to philosophical aesthetics on the market, but this one stands out in a number of respects. First, it is organized historically, featuring articles on virtually all the major theorists of art and beauty, from Plato to Danto and beyond. Second, the slate of contributors constitutes an array of many of the best aestheticians currently active. Third, the introductory and concluding chapters by the editor, Alessandro Giovannelli, are of an exceptional interest. This book would be an invaluable supplement to any historically-oriented course on the problems of aesthetics. -- Jerrold Levinson, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Maryland, College Park, USA