English 456: C20 Criticism and Theory Questions
on Kant's "Analytic of the Beautiful" Al Drake | Cyber Cafe | Thurs. 4-6 1) What is philosophical idealism, as we defined it in class? How does it differ from philosophical realism in the way it describes the relationship between the mind and the external world? 2) What implications might each theory (idealism and realism) have for broader notions about politics and societal organization? Responding to this question helps one understand why the Romantic poets borrowed so heavily (sometimes even directly) from Kantian ideas. 3) An aesthetic judgment (the judging of a particular object as "beautiful") stems from a feeling of pleasure—but why are we able to feel that pleasure? It is clear that for a Kantian, beauty is not an innate property of the object itself. Where, then, should we locate beauty? What is happening that results in our pleasure and our judgment that a particular object is beautiful? 4) Once we declare an object beautiful, why, according to Kant, do we suppose we have the right to other people's agreement? That is, we would not demand that everybody like chocolate ice cream just because we like it, but we would insist that our statement, "this red rose is beautiful" is a universally correct judgment. Why? *The reading selection is from Adams, Hazard. Critical Theory Since Plato. Rev. ed. New York: Harcourt, 1992. 376-85.
|