Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art

Praised in its original edition for its up-to-date, rigorous presentation of current debates and for the clarity of its presentation, Robert Stecker's new edition of Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art preserves the major themes and conclusions of the original, while expanding its content, providing new features, and enhancing accessibility. Described as a 'remarkably unified introduction to many contemporary debates in aesthetics and the philosophy of art,' Stecker specializes in sympathetically laying bear the play of argument that emerges as competing views on a topic engage each other.

Praised in its original edition for its up-to-date, rigorous presentation of current debates and for the clarity of its presentation, Robert Stecker's new edition of Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art preserves the major themes and conclusions of the original, while expanding its content, providing new features, and enhancing accessibility. Stecker introduces students to the history and evolution of aesthetics, and also makes an important distinction between aesthetics and philosophy of art. While aesthetics is the study of value, philosophy of art deals with a much wider array of questions including issues in metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophy of mind, as well value theory. Described as a 'remarkably unified introduction to many contemporary debates in aesthetics and the philosophy of art,' Stecker specializes in sympathetically laying bear the play of argument that emerges as competing views on a topic engage each other. This book does not simply present a controversy in its current state of play, but instead demonstrates a philosophical mind at work helping to advance the issue toward a solution.

Chapter 1 Preface
Chapter 2 Preface to Second Edition
Chapter 3 Introduction
Chapter 4
Chapter I: Aesthetics
Chapter 5 Environmental Aesthetics: Natural Beauty
Chapter 6 Conceptions of the Aesthetic: Aesthetic Experience
Chapter 7 Conceptions of the Aesthetic: Aesthetic Properties
Chapter 8
Chapter II: Philosophy of Art
Chapter 9 What is Art?
Chapter 10 What Kind of Object is a Work of Art?
Chapter 11 Interpretation and the Problem of the Relevant Intention
Chapter 12 Representation: Fiction
Chapter 13 Representation: Depiction
Chapter 14 Expressiveness in Music and Poetry
Chapter 15 Artistic Value
Chapter 16 Interaction: Ethical, Aesthetic and Artistic Value
Chapter 17 The Value of Architecture
Chapter 18 Conclusion
Chapter 19 References
Chapter 20 Index