Philosophy 233 - Aesthetics

How are works of art like and unlike other objects in the worlds that humans inhabit and make, like and unlike other human projects? What capacities are called upon in the creation and understanding of such works? What is the role of art and the artist in contemporary society? We read essays on aesthetics by Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Bell, Dewey, Danto, Benjamin, Berger, Sontag, Nochlin and Lyotard, among others. Experience with art is welcome but not required. Assignments are hands-on and applied, involving extensive use of the resources of the Smith College Museum of Art.