Philosophy 334MA - Immoral Art

From Plato's attacks on Homer's poems to the;protests against D.W. Griffith's racist film;The Birth of a Nation to the recent;spotlight cast by the #metoo movement, it is;clear that the relationship between art and;morality is a difficult one. Are some works of;art inherently immoral? If so, why? What should;we say about works of art that are created by;immoral artists? Or works that have morally;troubling social effects? What is the;relationship between an artwork's moral status;and its value as a work of art? Are moral and;aesthetic judgments objective? How are they;related? We will survey the current state of the;philosophical debate over the conflict between;moral and aesthetic value.

Prereq: 8 credits from the Philosophy department.