Papers by Daniel Guentchev
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In this paper I compare the philosophies of art of Susanne Langer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty in or... more In this paper I compare the philosophies of art of Susanne Langer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty in order to highlight some differences in goals, approaches, and the audiences addressed by each philosopher. As a teacher of aesthetics, one must ask two fundamental questions. What do we hope to accomplish when writing philosophy of art? How do we benefit from philosophy of art as readers? While I cannot answer them completely in this essay, I believe that contrasting two examples of philosophical approaches to art can provide valuable insights. I highlight some features of both approaches and their consequences for understanding, appreciating, critiquing, and encouraging the creation, of works of art: the philosophers' conceptions of the nature of philosophy, the relationship between language and art, their diagnosis of a cultural problem to which each aesthetic theory responds, the role of paradox in philosophical theory, and the relationship between philosopher and artist. This essay is premised on the idea that a truly valuable philosophy of art is more than the obligatory and somewhat mechanical insertion of the subject of art to the 'philosophy of…' formula. This is why I choose to compare the work of Langer and Merleau-Ponty. They share a common premise-that art's cultural contribution is somewhat neglected in the twentieth century, and that such neglect is related to specific cultural problems. Their philosophies are attempts to address these problems. In other words, they agree that the subject of art demands philosophical attention, and such attention cannot turn to another subject as a substitute. However, the manner in which each of the above features are discussed and the place they assume in their respective philosophies lead to somewhat diverging methods and aims. I believe that it is productive to see in the aesthetics of Langer and Merleau-Ponty two elements that are somewhat at odds. On the one hand, they offer explanations of the cultural role of art – a sort of explication of artistic work and its benefits. On the other hand, they offer a vision of art's vocation – a
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Papers by Daniel Guentchev
Drafts by Daniel Guentchev