Introduction to Aesthetics

This unique and engaging text traces aesthetics from its ancient beginnings through the changes it underwent in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and the first half of the twentieth century. The first part of the book traces the history of the two organized notions of aesthetics-the theory of beauty and the imitation theory of art-and describes the transformations they went through from ancient Greek times until the 1950s. The responses of the cultural theories in the1960s to these earlier developments are then discussed in detail. Four additional topics-intentionalistic criticism, symbolism, metaphor, and expression-are also addressed. Finally, five traditional artevaluational theories are presented, and the author constructs an evaluational theory of his own by building on ideas drawn from the work of Monroe Beardsley and Nelson Goodman. Written by one of the foremost philosophers of aesthetics, Introduction to Aesthetics is ideal for undergraduate courses in the philosophy of art and aesthetics, and is also suitable for graduate seminars and courses in these areas. It offers students both a historical introduction to and thelatest work on theories of art, theories of the experience of art, and theories of art evaluation.

“"Limpid and compactly insightful. Dickie is in top, analytic form."--Thomas Grady Spires, Gordon College”

"A lucid and incisive account of both the principal historical contributions to aesthetic theory and contemporary developments in philosophical aesthetics."--E. Feingold, The Pratt Institute"A handy reference guide for students with a strong background in philosophy. Would serve well as a supplementary text in a course which emphasizes historical background and topical issues."--Eliot Deutsch, University of Hawaii

George Dickie is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at University of Illinois, Chicago. He is the author of The Century of Taste (OUP, 1996), Aesthetics: A Critical Anthology, Second Edition (co-editor, 1989), Evaluating Art (1988), The Art Circle: A Theory of Art (1984), and Art and the Aesthetic (1974).

This unique and engaging text traces aesthetics from its ancient beginnings through the changes it underwent in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and the first half of the twentieth century. The first part of the book traces the history of the two organized notions of aesthetics-the theory of beauty and the imitation theory of art-and describes the transformations they went through from ancient Greek times until the 1950s. The responses of the cultural theories in the 1960s to these earlier developments are then discussed in detail. Four additional topics-intentionalistic criticism, symbolism, metaphor, and expression-are also addressed. Finally, five traditional art evaluational theories are presented, and the author constructs an evaluational theory of his own by building on ideas drawn from the work of Monroe Beardsley and Nelson Goodman. Written by one of the foremost philosophers of aesthetics, Introduction to Aesthetics is ideal for undergraduate courses in the philosophy of art and aesthetics, and is also suitable for graduate seminars and courses in these areas. It offers students both a historical introduction to and the latest work on theories of art, theories of the experience of art, and theories of art evaluation.

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