Overview

Aesthetics: The Key Thinkers offers a comprehensive historical overview of the field of aesthetics. Thirty specially commissioned essays introduce and explore the contributions of philosophers who have shaped the subject, from its origins in the work of the ancient Greeks to contemporary developments in the 21st century. Now thoroughly revised and updated throughout, this second edition includes new chapters on Ludwig Wittgenstein, Susanne Langer, Bernard Bolzano, as well as more coverage of post-1950 aesthetics with Frank Sibley, Stanley Cavell, Peter Kivy, Noël Carroll, Peter Lamarque, and Jerrold Levinson. The book reconstructs the history of aesthetics, clearly illustrating the most important attempts to address such crucial issues as the nature of aesthetic judgment, the status of art, and the place of the arts within society. Ideal for undergraduate students, it lays the necessary foundations for a complete and thorough understanding of this fascinating subject.

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9781350085558

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Reviews

This expanded edition adds to the original eighteen chapters new entries on Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, Du Bos, Batteux, Bolzano, Wittgenstein, Langer, Sibley, Kivy, Lamarque, Carroll, and Levinson, all written by leading aestheticians. Giovannelli has provided an invaluable resource, for both students and researchers in the field. * Stephen Davies, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Auckland, New Zealand * There are many guides to philosophical aesthetics on the market, but this one stands out. Featuring chapters on virtually all the major theorists of art and beauty, the slate of contributors constitutes an array of many of the best aestheticians currently active. An invaluable supplement to any historically oriented course on the problems of aesthetics, now with this second edition even more comprehensive and up-to-date. * Jerrold Levinson, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Maryland, USA *

With custom-written essays by experts in the field, this survey of leading writers on aesthetics and art from the ancients to the present day covers a full range of philosophical perspectives, including analytic, Continental and pragmatist. These accessible essays provide a comprehensive historical overview of philosophical aesthetics. * Professor Stephen Davies, Department of Philosophy, University of Auckland, New Zealand (of the first edition) * There are now many guides to philosophical aesthetics on the market, but this one stands out in a number of respects. First, it is organized historically, featuring articles on virtually all the major theorists of art and beauty, from Plato to Danto and beyond. Second, the slate of contributors constitutes an array of many of the best aestheticians currently active. Third, the introductory and concluding chapters by the editor, Alessandro Giovannelli, are of an exceptional interest. This book would be an invaluable supplement to any historically-oriented course on the problems of aesthetics. * Jerrold Levinson, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Maryland, College Park, USA (of the first edition) *

Author Information

Alessandro Giovannelli is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Lafayette College, USA.

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