Christopher R. Brewer (Pt. 2) - Aesthetic Cognitivism: Overview & Concepts

Aesthetic Cognitivism is a theory about the value of the arts as sources of understanding—the arts as more than sources of delight, amusement, pleasure, or emotional catharsis (though they can certainly be all of these). What are Aesthetic Cognitivism’s principles and theories, methods and implications?

[gordontubbs]

I like it that they chose an extremely aesthetic environment to do this interview. That sanctuary is gorgeous!

[christophercousins]

There's aesthetics, art, The Arts... and one more you forgot: the "art world." (aesthetic cupidity-ism)

[pasquino]

The aesthetic paradigm from Cezanne onwards is perception not cognitively based. It emerged with the rise of Existentialism. If aesthetic cognitivism moved out of academia and into the realm of the arts, we could be speaking of a progressive classicism in the arts. Aesthetic cognitivism as Professor James O Young states, is a new term for an idea of art that is as old as Aristotle. Art that instructs is also the language of Leon Battista Alberti in his work On Painting, or Ludovico Dolce's Dialogue, which addressed the central communicative function / power of the arts. Aesthetic cognitivism isn't Eurocentric at all. It is what all premodern cultures undertsood when they spoke of "art" or image making's utility. Romantic and Existentialist aesthetic notions, are however, entirely Eurocentric in origin.

[xspotbox]

Only religion higher than truth is culture.