We believe that philosophy requires dialogue and joint reflection. Our activities will include two workshops for researchers and graduate students in aesthetics and related fields. In the third year of the project, we will organise a large international conference open to a wider audience. All events will be advertised, and contributions will be invited via calls for papers.
The eye of the beholder?
That aesthetic experience is fundamentally perceptual is a cornerstone of thinking about art and beauty. But does this deny aesthetic value to mathematical proofs? Or conceptual art? And does the insistence on first-hand perceptual experience undermine aesthetic expertise?
This 3-year project at Uppsala University will answer these and other questions, and improve our understanding of the relation between perception and cognition in philosophical aesthetics.
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Events & Resources
Alongside academic conferences and publications, we will make available reading lists and teaching resources associated with the project
Our primary aim is a better understanding, and more thorough assessment, of the the role of perception and cognition in aesthetic appreciation. This requires a critical review of a cluster of issues centered around the notions of testimony, mental imagery, belief formation, response-dependence, reasons and normativity, and phenomenal concepts.
We aim to disseminate information about the project and its central themes to interested researchers and students, as well as to those looking to incorporate our findings into their own teaching. Please get in touch if you have specific questions, or have a look at the study materials, up-to-date reading lists and other resources we have made available.