Aesthetics: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Bence Nanay introduces aesthetics, a branch of philosophy that explores the nature of art, beauty, and taste. Looking beyond traditional artistic experiences, he defends the topic from accusations of elitism, and shows how more everyday experiences such as the pleasure in a soft fabric or falling leaves can become the subject of aesthetics.

• Introduces aesthetics, a branch of philosophy that explores the nature of art, beauty, and taste
• Looks beyond traditional artistic experiences to show how more everyday experiences such as the pleasure in a soft fabric or falling leaves can become the subject of aesthetics
• Defends the field of aesthetics from accusations of elitism
• Considers questions about the social aspect of our aesthetic engagements and the importance of aesthetic values for our own self
• Incorporates global aesthetic traditions in its discussion
• Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over ten million copies sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

Bence Nanay, Professor of Philosophy and BOF Research Professor, University of Antwerp, and Senior Research Associate, Peterhouse, University of Cambridge

Bence Nanay is currently BOF Research Professor of Philosophy at the Centre for Philosophical Psychology at the University of Antwerp, and Senior Research Associate at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge. He is the Director of the European Network for Sensory Research, which brings together Europe's top psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers working on perception and the senses. His research focuses on a number of fields, including aesthetics, psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, and he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles. He has also authored several books, including two monographs with Oxford University Press: Perceiving the World (2010), and Between Perception and Action (2013). He is a recipient of the Humboldt Foundation's prestigious Bessel Award for his work on aesthetics and the philosophy of perception.

Table of Contents

1:Lost in the museum
2:Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll
3:Experience and attention
4:Aesthetics and the self
5:Aesthetics and the other
6:Aesthetics and life
7:Global aesthetics
Further reading
Index