Beauty, the social network1. Issue 4 (4th July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lopes, Dominic McIver
• Is Part Of: Canadian journal of philosophy. Volume 47:Issue 4(2017)
• Page Start: 437
• Page End: 453
• Publication Date: 2017-07-04
• Subjects: Aesthetic -- beauty -- normativity -- value -- social; Philosophy -- Periodicals; 105
• DOI: 10.1080/00455091.2016.1269986
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-5091

Abstract

Abstract: Aesthetic values give agents reasons to perform not only acts of contemplation, but also acts like editing, collecting, and conserving. Moreover, aesthetic agents rarely operate solo: they conduct their business as integral members of networks of other aesthetic agents. The consensus theory of aesthetic value, namely that an item's aesthetic value is its power to evoke a finally valuable experience in a suitable spectator, can explain neither the range of acts performed by aesthetic agents nor the social contexts in which they operate. This paper proposes a new theory of aesthetic value specifically to explain facts about the sociality of aesthetic agents.