JoLMA The Journal for the Philosophy of Language, Mind and the Arts

Journal | JoLMA
Monographic journal issue | 1 | 1 | 2020
Research Article | Aesthetic Cognitivism

Aesthetic Cognitivism

Abstract

Is beauty a feature of objects in the world; or a feature of our individual experience of objects; or the result of aesthetic education and training, modulated by social culture? I argue that aesthetic properties are like perceptual properties, understood as Constitutionalism explains them: as real features of objects in the world that fully manifest themselves only in causal interaction with suitable perceivers. I here develop Constitutionalism to provide a metaphysical account of aesthetic properties in terms of causal powers. Like perceptual properties, aesthetic properties are (multi-track and multi-stage) powers of objects that mutually manifest with relevant powers of the perceiver. On this basis, I argue that aesthetic judgements, like perceptual judgements, are apt for truth and falsity, and their truth value derives from the reliable experiences that produce them.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: March 23, 2020 | Accepted: April 1, 2020 | Published June 30, 2020 | Language: en

Keywords Aesthetic propertiesCognitivismPerceptual propertiesCausal powersReliabilismConstitutionalism


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