Aesthetics ― A Reader in Philosophy of the Arts

Aesthetics: A Reader in Philosophy of the Arts, 4^th Edition contains an extensive selection of readings organized by individual art forms. Sections include topics that are familiar to students such as, painting, photography and movies, architecture, music, literature, and performance, as well as contemporary subjects such as, mass art, popular arts, the aesthetics of the everyday, and the natural environment. The Reader also contains foundational readings in philosophical aesthetics, Each section allows maximal choice for both instructor and students to explore creative, personal syllabi without going beyond this single text. The Reader functions as a complete source book of additional readings for student research that extends beyond the assigned readings.

• Provides a thorough introduction to the discipline of aesthetics and philosophy of art for students in undergraduate courses.
• Includes 87 essays, organized into eight separate art forms—e.g., painting, photography and movies, mass art—which encourages students to engage philosophically with the specifics of each form of artistic expression rather than treating art as a monolith.

• Includes a ninth chapter focused on art in general, with nine additional essays that explore philosophical currents running through multiple art forms
• Uniquely offers a thorough overview of contemporary art forms that will engage most students—like popular art, mass art, and everyday aesthetics—while also appealing to readers studying the arts, art history, cultural criticism, literature, and cultural studies.
• Contains essays from both the analytic and continental traditions, and multiple essays that bridge this divide between these traditions.
• Provides diversified voices that speak to mainstream topics, e.g., racist humor, gendered beauty, street art, and Chinese poetry.
• Includes new essays that are relatively short and conceptually focused, which helps students to better understand their reading assignments, allows instructors the option to assign additional weekly readings for contrast and comparison, and facilitates cogent philosophical discussion.

Key Additions to the Fourth Edition

• The 4^th edition is expanded to include 96 total essays with 17 new essays, updated organization into new sections, revised introductions to each section, an increased emphasis on contemporary topics, such as stand-up comedy, the architecture of museums, interactivity and video games, the ethics of sexiness, trans/gendered beauty, the aesthetics of junkyards and street art, and the inclusion of more diverse philosophical voices.
  
• Includes nine new essays, written exclusively for this new edition:

• Sondra Bacharach on street art
• Aili Bresnahan on appreciating dance
• Hina Jamelle on digital architecture
• Jason Leddington on magic
• Sheila Lintott on stand-up comedy
• Yuriko Saito on everyday aesthetics
• Larry Shiner on art spectacle museums in the 21^st century
• Peg Brand Weiser on how beauty matters
• Edward Winters on the feeling of being at home in vernacular architecture as in such urban places as bars

David Goldblatt is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Denison University.

Lee B. Brown (1932-2014) was Professor of Philosophy at The Ohio State University and the author of many articles on a wide range of philosophical subjects, including popular music, recorded music, and jazz.

Stephanie Patridge is a Professor of Philosophy at Otterbein University. Her research focuses on aesthetic properties, and moral evaluation in imaginative contexts.