Aesthetics

A revised second edition of the bestselling anthology on the major figures and themes in aesthetics and philosophy of art, the ideal resource for a comprehensive introduction to the study of aesthetics

Aesthetics: A Comprehensive Anthology offers a well-rounded and thorough introduction to the evolution of modern thought on aesthetics. In a collection of over 60 readings, focused primarily on the Western tradition, this text includes works from key figures such as Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Danto, and others. Broad in scope, this volume also contains contemporary works on the value of art, frequently-discussed continental texts, modern perspectives on feminist philosophy of art, and essays by authors outside of the community of academic philosophy, thereby immersing readers in an inclusive and balanced survey of aesthetics.

The new second edition has been updated with contemporary essays, expanding the volume’s coverage to include the value of art, artistic worth and personal taste, questions of aesthetic experience, and contemporary debates on and new theories of art. This edition also incorporates new and more standard translations of Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment and Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation, as well as texts by Rousseau, Hegel, DuBois, Alain Locke, Budd, Robinson, Saito, Eaton and Levinson.

• Presents a comprehensive selection of introductory readings on aesthetics and philosophy of art
• Helps readers gain a deep historical understanding and clear perspective on contemporary questions in the field
• Offers new essays specifically selected to promote inclusivity and to highlight contemporary discussions
• Introduces new essays on topics such as environmental and everyday aesthetics, evolutionary aesthetics, and the connections between aesthetics and ethics

Appropriate for both beginning and advanced students of philosophical aesthetics, this selection of texts initiates readers into the study of the foundations of and central developments in aesthetic thought.

STEVEN M. CAHN is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He has authored or edited over 60 books. Most recently he wrote Philosophical Adventures, The Road Traveled and Other Essays, and Inside Academia: Professors, Politics, and Policies.

STEPHANIE ROSS is Professor Emerita of Philosophy at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She is the author of What Gardens Mean and papers on a variety of topics in aesthetics. Her new book, Two Thumbs Up: How Critics Aid Appreciation is forthcoming.

SANDRA SHAPSHAY is Professor of Philosophy at Hunter College and the Graduate Center, CUNY (City University of New York). She is the author of Reconstructing Schopenhauer's Ethics: Hope, Compassion, and Animal Welfare and has published on 18th-19th century theories of the sublime and tragedy as well as contemporary environmental aesthetics.