Philosophy of the Arts

An examination both of general issues that apply to all types of art and of issues specific to particular art forms. For example, what is art? What are the central artistic values: beauty, truth, emotional expressiveness, representational power, or something else? Does art have a moral or political function? How can we account for the history of art and for different artistic styles? In regard to selected forms, there are important questions concerning how pictures represent, whether music and dance are forms of 'language', and the nature of literary interpretation. Some consideration is given to the relation of psychology and theories of the mind to art. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Priority given to majors in Philosophy & PNP.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU Eth; AS HUM; FA HUM

Philosophy of the Arts

PHILOSOPHY 339F

Section 01