Aesthetics: A Very Short Introduction

Written by Bence Nanay

Narrated by Alex Wyndham

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that explores the nature of art, beauty, and taste. It doesn't just consider traditional artistic experiences such as artworks in a museum or an opera performance, but also everyday experiences such as autumn leaves in the park, or even just the light of the setting sun falling on the kitchen table. It is also about your experience when you choose the shirt you're going to wear today or when you wonder whether you should put more pepper in the soup. Aesthetics is everywhere. It is one of the most important aspects of our life.

In this Very Short Introduction Bence Nanay introduces the field of aesthetics, considering both Western and non-Western aesthetic traditions, and exploring why it is sometimes misunderstood or considered to be too elitist-by artists, musicians, and even philosophers. As Nanay shows, so-called 'high art' has no more claims on aesthetics than sitcoms, tattoos, or punk rock. In fact, the scope of aesthetics extends far wider than that of art, high or low, including much of what we care about in life. It is not the job of aesthetics to tell you which artworks are good and which ones are bad. It is not the job of aesthetics to tell you what experiences are worth having. If an experience is worth having for you, it thereby becomes the subject of aesthetics. This realization is important, because thinking about aesthetics in this inclusive way opens up new ways of understanding old questions about the social aspect of our aesthetic engagements, and the importance of aesthetic values for our own self.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: May 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781705206300

Reviews for Aesthetics

[Martin · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What is with the dead white males comment at the start? Stupid comments like those that spoil interesting subjects.

[A_Mulligan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not so much a introduction on Aesthetics as it is an accessible meditation on aesthetics. Too argumentative to be considered a survey. While I do agree with the argument that aesthetics are applicable to a wide range of culture, this book is negligent of the discipline’s specific history in an attempt to transform its aims. Also, the author participates in the intellectual fad of being hyper critical of the Western tradition while failing to convey they understand the novelty of the Western tradition, for example the relationship between aesthetic judgment and democracy. Furthermore, the author is clearly writing for a western audience. All in all, well written, some interesting ideas, worth debating, not a good introduction.

[Martyn Battle · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I didn't make it past the last line of the first chapter:

"I'm not going to pretend to cover all aesthetic traditions in this book, but neither will I focus on uniquely western ideas that blatantly fail to resonate with the rest of the world regardless of the prestige of the dead white males that come up with them"

Author is hyper-critical of Western aesthetic traditions to the point of self-parody and spends most of the first chapter lecturing the reader on how Western aesthetics are elitist, judgemental, privileged etc.

[Matthew Sahagun · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Terrible book. Boring, long, not
A good read. Hard pass. You are best off skipping.

[Danny___Mac · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

So many written works with political bends by authors that consider themselves saviors of humanity by inserting modern leftist ideology into every work, especially historical opinion. Sitting with expensive laptops at cute inner city cafés, highly policed areas, sleeping in ivory towers. Hivemind writers who can't see the irony of their own existence.

[James Self · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very nice introduction for the uninitiated. The author cover a lot of ground, so more a general overview of course. Plenty to thin about in terms links to design and material culture!

[Drew M · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

"dead white males" and into the trash this one goes