Bhe. Aesthetic Port Of View Monroe C. BeardsleyTSBN 0-8014-9880-5 The Aesthetic Poi Monroe C. Beardsle Edited by’ Michael Ot View: Sefected Kasay Wren and Donald M. Callen “Beardsley’s manner of discussion and argument, in these essays as in all his work, is refreshingly honest, modest, sensible, straightforward, and devoid of gimmicks and tricks. His work has to a high degree the special merits of superior philosophical writing: cogency of argument, clarity ‘of presentation, and serious consideration of alternative views.” —Kendall Walton, Department of Philosophy, University of Michigan ‘This volume collects the central essays of Monroe C. Beardsley, who has been the dominant figure in the philosophy of art in this country for the past two decades. Divided into four sections, it brings together twenty closely connected pieces —six of them new—on diverse aspects of aesthetic "The essays in Part are concemed with the aesthetic, its nature and scope, and with the philosophical, social, educational, and other implications of taking the aesthetic point of view. The nature of art and art eriticism is the focus of Part II, with the interconnected questions of the legitimate aims, scope, and methods of criticism, This section includes @ paper never before pub- lished —Beardsley’s first sustained treatment of the intentional fallacy since his landmark article with W. K. Wimsatt in 1946. Metaphor and creativity are the topies discussed in Part Ill. Written specially for this volume, Part IV consists of Beardsley’s latest reflections on five basic issues, in the philosophy of art: the nature of aesthetic experience, the definition of a work of art, critic evaluation, the relevance of reasons in art histo and art in its cultural context. Here Beardsley updates, defends, expands, and, when necessary, modifies or abandons his earlier views. Taken together, these essays comprise a major new installment in the most comprehensive, coherent, and well-developed philosophy of art yet devised by i theuriat who is both philosophically sophisticated tnd artistically sensitive, The Aesthetic Point of ViewMONROE C. BEARDSLEY The Aesthetic Point of View Selected Essays Edited by MICHAEL J. WREEN and DONALD M. CALLEN Cornell University PressUB LUNEBURG = LUNs ses 1 en Copyright © 1982 by Cornell University Press International Standard Book Number (cloth) o8on4-1250+4 International Standard Book Number (paper) o-So14-880-5, Library of Congress Catalog, Card Number 82-71601 Printed in the United States of America Litrarians: Library of Congress extaloging information appears ‘the last age ofthe took “The paper inthis book is acit-e, and meets the guidelines {for permanence and durability of the Committe on Production Giidelines for Book Longevity ofthe Couneil om Library Resources. UB Liineburg uh n8257? 2. Contents 1, The Aesthetic ‘The Aesthetic Point of View The Discrimination of Aesthetic Enjoyment Intrinsic Value ‘The Aesthetic Problem of Justification “Aesthetic Experience Regained What Is an Aesthetic Quality? Aesthetic Welfare, Aesthetic Justice, and Educational Policy Is Art Essentially Institutional? IL. Art and Art Criticism What Are Critics For? The Limits of Critical Interpretation Intentions and Interpretations: A Fallacy Revived ‘The Generality of Critical Reasons ‘The Relevance of History to Art Criticism ML. Creativity and Metaphor The Creation of Art The Metaphorical Twist 47 165 388 208 219 239 26316. wy. 8 9. Contents IV. Some Persistent Issues in Aesthetics: Further Reflections Introduction Aesthetic Experience Redefining Art iitical Evaluation ‘The Relevance of Reasons in Art Criticism. Art and Its Cultural Context BY MONROE C, BEARDSLEY 285 285 208 316 332 352 om Foreword 'N 1958 Monroe Beardsley published his Aesthetics: Problems in the Philosophy of Criticisms, and in the ensuing years the book has become something of a classic in the philosophy of art, having acquired almost the status of a reference work. More than any other single text, it set analytic aesthetics on its feet and made the philosophy of art a respectable area for contemporary Anglo- ‘American philosophers to work in. But although a systematic and well-argued philosophy of art is presented in Aesthetics, that book, like every other in its field, constituted no last word, no final judgment in aesthetics. Objections were bound to be raised (and were raised) and needed to be answered; a number of topics ‘would have benefited from fuller treatment; new issues were sure to arise and new concepts to be developed; advances would be made in neighboring areas of philosophy, such as the philosophy of language and the theory of value, and in neighboring disci- plines, such as psychology, literary criticism, and art history. All this was duly realized by Beardsley; he has never rested content with the views developed in Aesthetics, but has sought to rebut, or to incorporate criticism, and to comment on, to extend, or to criticize the newer ideas in or surrounding aesthetic theory. The present book, in fact, is ample testimony to his willingness to keep an open mind, to stay abreast of the latest developments in several fields, and to meet criticism honestly, by modifying or by abandoning earlier views when necessary ‘The essays collected here were written at various times, for var- ious occasions, and with various purposes in mind. A few were written in the early 1960s, several since 1980, But despite the span of time and the diversity of purpose, there is a unity to these essays and indeed to all of Beardsley’s work in aesthetics. As he himself says in his Introduction to Part 1V of this book, the central 78 Foreword thread running through his work is the articulation and elabora- tion of a distinctly aesthetic point of view. Realizing this, we have tried to arrange the essays of the present volume accordingly. Part I is concerned with the nature and scope of the aesthetic, and with the implications—philosophical, social, educational, and otherwise—of taking the aesthetic point of view. “The Aesthetic Point of View,” the paper that opens this volume, is, in a sense, a short general introduction to the philosophy of art that is ad- vanced and defended in the succeeding pages. Here the notion of, the aesthetic point of view is explicated and its implications are explored. Other related concepts are examined or defended in later papers—aesthetic enjoyment in Essay 2, aesthetic experience in Essay 5, and aesthetic qualities in Essay 6, Value-related issues, in particular the usefulness of the concept of intrinsic value, the justification of the production and enjoyment of objects of aes- thetic value, and the proper distribution of and education for aes- thetic goods, are discussed in Essays 3, 4, and 7 respectively. Part Lends with “Is Art Essentially Institutional?” a critical analysis of the now very popular institutional theory of art and a bridge to Part I. The nature of art and art criticism is the focus of Part I, with the interconnected questions of the legitimate aims, scope, and methods of criticism. Essay 11, a paper never before published, is Beardsley’s first sustained treatment of the intentional fallacy since his famous joint paper with W. K. Wimsatt of 1946. Essays 32 and 13 might well be considered companion pieces, for they too are concerned with determining the proper canons of art criticism. Metaphor and creativity are the topics discussed in Part Ill which, we freely admit, is somewhat of a miscellany section Metaphor is of particular importance, however, since its analysis, besides being of intrinsic interest, is bound to affect the theory of interpretation. And creativity, which plays a central role in some philosophies of art, is here given ample empirical study, but as- signed a considerably less prominent place in the philosophy of art Part IV was written specially for this volume, and consists of some of Beardsley’s most recent thoughts on five basic issues. ‘Topics discussed in other essays in this volume are brought up to date in this section, in the light of developments both within and without the philosophy of art. Never one to be preoccupied with defending, his own earlier views or with criticizing the views of Foreword 9 others, Beardsley emphasizes the positive in this section, and at- tempts to extract what he feels is worthwhile from the views of others, to build on their and his accounts, and to make a defi- nite contribution to the isses discussed. As for subject matter, the titles of the essays—“ Aesthetic Experience,” “Redefining Art,” “Critical Evaluation,” “The Relevance of Reasons in Art Critic cism,” and “Art and Its Cultural Context"—speak for themselves. Encomiums have thus far been kept to a minimum, but if mat- ters remained so, this Foreword would be inaccurate and some what less than fair. These are excellent essays, among the best that philosophy has to offer. Beardsley’s writing is unusually graceful, his tone unusually inviting, his judgment unusually impartial and balanced. There are no tricks in these essays, no pretentions, no Fancorous polemics, only straightforward, vigorous—and. rigor. ous—philosophy, with the added sparkle of lively examples and an occasional dash of humor. We hope that you will enjoy these essays and find them as stimulating, and maybe even as convine- ing, as we do. Micuari J. Wreen Philadelphia Ci lege of Art Donato M. Catten Boroling Green State University