Aesthetics: Classic Readings from the Western Tradition

By Leroy Townsend and Dabney Townsend

This anthology is a collection of basic readings, chosen to illustrate the major movements in the history, development and nature of aesthetics. Selections of major importance are drawn from the period of the Greeks to the mid-twentieth century. Every section introduction includes an historical overview of each period, biographical information, and a brief analysis of key concepts.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0534551467
• ISBN13: 9780534551469
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A Fair Sampling of Philosophers of Art

"Aesthetics: Classic Readings from the Western Tradition" edited by Dabney Townsend, is an aesthetics anthology I recently read in hopes of finding a better text for the philosophy of art course I regularly teach. It's one of the better anthologies available, but in my opinion it's not the best of them (that honor I'd probably reserve for either Stephen David Ross' "Art and Its Significance" or Hofstadter's old standby "Philosophies of Art and Beauty," both of which are half the price of this very expensive book--or for Hazard Adams' "Critical Theory Since Plato," if you can afford a $135 book). Townsend's text includes primary texts--that is, selections from texts authored by recognized authorities in the field--as well as short introductions to figures and periods. "Aesthetics: Classic Readings" strikes a pretty good balance between depth and breadth. It includes selections from 20 writers old and new, ranging from Plato and Aristotle to Bell and Danto (the first edition included only 15, as it lacked the post WWI selections which have significantly improved the second edition). Some writers featured here (like Bonaventure, Dante, Ruskin and Weitz) are not regularly included in anthologies of this type, so their presence is refreshing. And the selection offers a sound representation of figures from different historical periods and different philosophical perspectives. But the selections are relatively superficial in content, as there are only a few complete essays in the mix (most are abbreviated excerpts), and only a scratch on the surface of truly important writers like Plato and Kant. And one wonders why someone like Morris Weitz is included if that choice eliminates a much more influential figure, like Nelson Goodman for instance. In short, this anthology is at the top of the middle-of-the-road pack, as it contains a broad and interesting sampling of texts. But a little more depth (and some more prudent choices if expansion isn't possible--which it should be in a text this expensive) would have definitely improved the book. For the novice reader I would recommend either Ross or Hofstadter for, respectively, their broader or more comprehensive anthologies--or Adams if you're independently wealthy. And Anne Sheppard's "Aesthetics" and Robert Wood's "Placing Aesthetics" would be helpful secondary reading to help explain and contextualize the primary writings in this anthology.

Understand the Philosophy of Art

I read this book for a graduate seminar on the philosophy of art. Dabney Townsend's "Aesthetics, Classic Readings" is an excellent text to get a general idea of the vast field of philosophy of art. Aesthetics = philosophy of Art, thinking about art. Originally, aesthetics just meant "sense experience," and had nothing to do with art. A certain theory of art came to co-opt this word. So, much of modern philosophy of art turned more to the subject and away from the object because modern science did such to convince us that the objective world could be understood as a precise matter of mathematical physics. This idea became so impressive that people were making claims about art or ethics similar to science, that we can't make any objective claims about the world, we are simply making claims about human beliefs. So, the turn to the subject becomes common because of the success of modern science it co-opted the discussion of objective nature. We say things about art, but not all are true. The Ancient Greeks had absolute beliefs about art like "beauty." Townsend finds that how we engage art today is different then how the ancient Greeks did, art was embedded in a cultural context for them. Art was not in museums or in dance halls. Art is in a special zone of experience today in museums, etc. Tragedy for Greeks was part of their politics and religion, sculpture and painting the same way. Music until recently, (after the enlightenment) was for religion or some kind of official function. Philosophy tries to come up with theories about art; it may be a fool's errand. A set of principles that define and illuminates or explains the full measure of art is probably not attainable. However, just because a theory is wrong doesn't mean it has no value, we can draw import from all of them. Thus, Townsend asks, can art even satisfy necessary or sufficient conditions? One will always find exceptions. A "Necessary condition" is a condition that must be present in order to account for the subject in question, i.e., all art must have X. "Sufficient conditions" are considered to being all that is needed to be in account for the subject in question. Another word a complete sufficient condition means you have captured all that you need to account for. An example of a necessary condition and necessary conditions need not be sufficient conditions, so for instance a necessary condition for "being a bachelor is being a male," but it is not a sufficient condition because you have to have an "unmarried male" in order for it to be a sufficient condition for being a "bachelor." So both "unmarried and male" are necessary conditions, they both must be present in order to account for "bachelorhood," but neither one alone is a sufficient condition because it is not enough. So, when we are trying to define art and one finds some necessary conditions like some kind of "human intervention" that is a necessary condition, but maybe it is a sufficient condition

An Engaging Perspective On Art and Beauty

This a tough read, but a rewarding one. It presumes a familiarity with philosophical language and with the major players (especially the Greeks). It also borders on being a grad-level read, so beware if it's been assigned to you in an undergrad course; you've got your work cut out for you. Nonetheless, Townsend compiles an interesting assortment of readings (even though he jumps over big time periods) and gives a fresh perspective on writers that you've probably thought of very differently until now (e.g., Tolstoy and Clive Bell). It's the kind of book that's engrossing enough to keep even after the course is over, and it'll probably be a useful resource to have in your personal library if you're going to go on to graduate study in philosophy or art.