in choosing a book...

[mhoraine]

Who do we listen to, if anyone, before we decide to read a book ?
The power of words….and titles and reviews....Decisions, decisions, decisions….

Recently Launt ( in Aesthetics ) introduced me to ' Who’s Afraid of Conceptual Art ? ' by Peter Goldie and Elisabeth Schellekens. Both the title and Launt's take on Goldie's position intrigued me. I discovered another book, edited by the same 'pair' - Goldie and Schellekens - with the solid title of ' Philosophy and Conceptual Art’ .

Hmmm, tempted by both, - but which one would I read...A certain Robert J Yanal offers a fascinating and challenging peer review of the latter : http://ndpr.nd.edu/review.cfm?id=13223 but Why should I listen to this guy ? What does he know ?

OK - here is his - paper on ‘ Kant on Aesthetic Ideas and Beauty' : http://homepage.mac.com/ryanal/Kant.pdf

It is a 20 pager, which I will look at more closely later. The Conclusion :

' ....If, on the other hand, we take Kant’s route, the cognitive in art will not necessarily aim at stating truths or at standing as samples of reality, but will be that which stimulates metaphorical thinking, which lays claim to being a cognitive activity. ...More importantly, on Kant’s view the appreciation of aesthetic ideas is not an activity different in kind from the appreciation of design and composition. There is no contemplation/verification split of the sort that motivates an aesthetic/cognitive value distinction.
In fact, Kant shows how Duchamp’s Fountain — of all things — is susceptible to aesthetic appreciation without falling into the trap of “mooning over the gleaming surfaces of the porcelain object [Duchamp] had manhandled into exhibition space.”36 And we may have a kind of reconciliation in the offing: perhaps Duchamp’s Fountain and a work like Michelangelo’s Moses are not as radically different as some think.'

So, Yanal asserts his authority on the subject. { but is he right ? }
He has also written about the films of Hitchcock as Philosophy : http://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/%22Hi ... rt_J_Yanal

I like the sound of Yanal, his apparent mix of 'products' appeals to me, raising again the question in my mind of the aesthetics of philosophy. Are we missing something if we only read the arguably dry Theories of the Greats, or even modern philosophers....are they not enhanced by experiencing the joys of literature and v.v.
Can they be fully appreciated as an 'experience' on their own, without Context or Intros or Reviews....some kind of direction ? A joining...A combinational activity....of the sort suggested under the 'Deliberation and Reason' thread....Baron and Eco ? Is it a case of Cognitive v Aesthetic appreciation....or both ?

The art of philosophy. Can it ever be truly original....how creative can it be....how successful ? Is it like the English football 'team' - full of individual celebrities -apparently aiming at something ? the Truth re Consciousness ? but not pulling together.... and whot about the goal that wasn't a goal - who decides if it crossed the line, or where the line is drawn ?

Is Yanal a good referee ? ...why should I care...I'm only kicking the ball about the park...Thanks, Philosophy Now....for providing the grounds. Now, where is my manager....

M.

[MysticRose]

Decisions! Decisions! All that reading and reviewing seems too much like hard work to me. I simply run my fingers along a bookshelf and wait to see what ’jumps’ out at me. Try it, it’s fun.

[mhoraine]

Decisions! Decisions! All that reading and reviewing seems too much like hard work to me. I simply run my fingers along a bookshelf and wait to see what ’jumps’ out at me. Try it, it’s fun.

Who needs fingering ?
My friend Marcus Aurelius jumped on me, and I was helpless....