Home » Archimedes archive » Archimedes World » AW-1996-10.adf » !FontDir2_FD2 » !FontFS/TextStyles/Body/aesthetic
!FontFS/TextStyles/Body/aesthetic
This website contains an archive of files for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 16 and Commodore 64 computers, which Dominic Ford has rescued from his private collection of floppy disks and cassettes.
Some of these files were originally commercial releases in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are now widely available online. I assume that copyright over them is no longer being asserted. If you own the copyright and would like files to be removed, please contact me.
| Tape/disk: | Home » Archimedes archive » Archimedes World » AW-1996-10.adf » !FontDir2_FD2 |
| Filename: | !FontFS/TextStyles/Body/aesthetic |
| Read OK: | ✔ |
| File size: | 0633 bytes |
| Load address: | 0000 |
| Exec address: | 0000 |
File contents
showopts v0.02a (17-Dec-95) wordwrap:on viewtext: Before we can say whether aesthetic appraisal is appropriate to natural objects, we have to, if it is possible, to try and come to an understanding of what is specific about 'aesthetic' appraisal as opposed to any other form of appraisal. What is it that we mean by 'aesthetic'? One of the first ways to explore this question is to briefly look at some theories of aesthetics to see what they have to say on the subject. Although this, as I will show, is by no means a fulfilling route into the question it does provide us with a starting point and does lead us into some of the deeper issues. In looking at what criteria some of the theories give for an object to be worthy of aesthetic appraisal we can compare the criteria to natural objects to see how they compare. For the purpose of this essay I am going to be speaking of 'natural objects' as objects which have been constituted by nature. This definition is not without its difficulties because although I wish to exclude the artificial and the man-made, man is of course natural and some of the things he creates such as animals and crops we often appreciate under the concept of nature. Suffice it to say that we can reasonably assume that there is a general concept of the natural and nature within peoples minds, (such as hills, fields, animals, insects, flowers, trees, innocence..) which generally understands and conforms to what is meant by the term 'constituted by nature'. I am not making it the purpose of this essay to explore the problems of boundary discrepancies.
00000000 73 68 6f 77 6f 70 74 73 20 76 30 2e 30 32 61 20 |showopts v0.02a | 00000010 28 31 37 2d 44 65 63 2d 39 35 29 0a 77 6f 72 64 |(17-Dec-95).word| 00000020 77 72 61 70 3a 6f 6e 0a 76 69 65 77 74 65 78 74 |wrap:on.viewtext| 00000030 3a 0a 0a 42 65 66 6f 72 65 20 77 65 20 63 61 6e |:..Before we can| 00000040 20 73 61 79 20 77 68 65 74 68 65 72 20 61 65 73 | say whether aes| 00000050 74 68 65 74 69 63 20 61 70 70 72 61 69 73 61 6c |thetic appraisal| 00000060 20 69 73 20 61 70 70 72 6f 70 72 69 61 74 65 20 | is appropriate | 00000070 74 6f 20 6e 61 74 75 72 61 6c 20 6f 62 6a 65 63 |to natural objec| 00000080 74 73 2c 20 77 65 20 68 61 76 65 20 74 6f 2c 20 |ts, we have to, | 00000090 69 66 20 69 74 20 69 73 20 70 6f 73 73 69 62 6c |if it is possibl| 000000a0 65 2c 20 74 6f 20 74 72 79 20 61 6e 64 20 63 6f |e, to try and co| 000000b0 6d 65 20 74 6f 20 61 6e 20 75 6e 64 65 72 73 74 |me to an underst| 000000c0 61 6e 64 69 6e 67 20 6f 66 20 77 68 61 74 20 69 |anding of what i| 000000d0 73 20 73 70 65 63 69 66 69 63 20 61 62 6f 75 74 |s specific about| 000000e0 20 27 61 65 73 74 68 65 74 69 63 27 20 61 70 70 | 'aesthetic' app| 000000f0 72 61 69 73 61 6c 20 61 73 20 6f 70 70 6f 73 65 |raisal as oppose| 00000100 64 20 74 6f 20 61 6e 79 20 6f 74 68 65 72 20 66 |d to any other f| 00000110 6f 72 6d 20 6f 66 20 61 70 70 72 61 69 73 61 6c |orm of appraisal| 00000120 2e 20 57 68 61 74 20 69 73 20 69 74 20 74 68 61 |. What is it tha| 00000130 74 20 77 65 20 6d 65 61 6e 20 62 79 20 27 61 65 |t we mean by 'ae| 00000140 73 74 68 65 74 69 63 27 3f 20 4f 6e 65 20 6f 66 |sthetic'? One of| 00000150 20 74 68 65 20 66 69 72 73 74 20 77 61 79 73 20 | the first ways | 00000160 74 6f 20 65 78 70 6c 6f 72 65 20 74 68 69 73 20 |to explore this | 00000170 71 75 65 73 74 69 6f 6e 20 69 73 20 74 6f 20 62 |question is to b| 00000180 72 69 65 66 6c 79 20 6c 6f 6f 6b 20 61 74 20 73 |riefly look at s| 00000190 6f 6d 65 20 74 68 65 6f 72 69 65 73 20 6f 66 20 |ome theories of | 000001a0 61 65 73 74 68 65 74 69 63 73 20 74 6f 20 73 65 |aesthetics to se| 000001b0 65 20 77 68 61 74 20 74 68 65 79 20 68 61 76 65 |e what they have| 000001c0 20 74 6f 20 73 61 79 20 6f 6e 20 74 68 65 20 73 | to say on the s| 000001d0 75 62 6a 65 63 74 2e 20 41 6c 74 68 6f 75 67 68 |ubject. Although| 000001e0 20 74 68 69 73 2c 20 61 73 20 49 20 77 69 6c 6c | this, as I will| 000001f0 20 73 68 6f 77 2c 20 69 73 20 62 79 20 6e 6f 20 | show, is by no | 00000200 6d 65 61 6e 73 20 61 20 66 75 6c 66 69 6c 6c 69 |means a fulfilli| 00000210 6e 67 20 72 6f 75 74 65 20 69 6e 74 6f 20 74 68 |ng route into th| 00000220 65 20 71 75 65 73 74 69 6f 6e 20 69 74 20 64 6f |e question it do| 00000230 65 73 20 70 72 6f 76 69 64 65 20 75 73 20 77 69 |es provide us wi| 00000240 74 68 20 61 20 73 74 61 72 74 69 6e 67 20 70 6f |th a starting po| 00000250 69 6e 74 20 61 6e 64 20 64 6f 65 73 20 6c 65 61 |int and does lea| 00000260 64 20 75 73 20 69 6e 74 6f 20 73 6f 6d 65 20 6f |d us into some o| 00000270 66 20 74 68 65 20 64 65 65 70 65 72 20 69 73 73 |f the deeper iss| 00000280 75 65 73 2e 20 49 6e 20 6c 6f 6f 6b 69 6e 67 20 |ues. In looking | 00000290 61 74 20 77 68 61 74 20 63 72 69 74 65 72 69 61 |at what criteria| 000002a0 20 73 6f 6d 65 20 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 74 68 65 | some of the the| 000002b0 6f 72 69 65 73 20 67 69 76 65 20 66 6f 72 20 61 |ories give for a| 000002c0 6e 20 6f 62 6a 65 63 74 20 74 6f 20 62 65 20 77 |n object to be w| 000002d0 6f 72 74 68 79 20 6f 66 20 61 65 73 74 68 65 74 |orthy of aesthet| 000002e0 69 63 20 61 70 70 72 61 69 73 61 6c 20 77 65 20 |ic appraisal we | 000002f0 63 61 6e 20 63 6f 6d 70 61 72 65 20 74 68 65 20 |can compare the | 00000300 63 72 69 74 65 72 69 61 20 74 6f 20 6e 61 74 75 |criteria to natu| 00000310 72 61 6c 20 6f 62 6a 65 63 74 73 20 74 6f 20 73 |ral objects to s| 00000320 65 65 20 68 6f 77 20 74 68 65 79 20 63 6f 6d 70 |ee how they comp| 00000330 61 72 65 2e 20 46 6f 72 20 74 68 65 20 70 75 72 |are. For the pur| 00000340 70 6f 73 65 20 6f 66 20 74 68 69 73 20 65 73 73 |pose of this ess| 00000350 61 79 20 49 20 61 6d 20 67 6f 69 6e 67 20 74 6f |ay I am going to| 00000360 20 62 65 20 73 70 65 61 6b 69 6e 67 20 6f 66 20 | be speaking of | 00000370 27 6e 61 74 75 72 61 6c 20 6f 62 6a 65 63 74 73 |'natural objects| 00000380 27 20 61 73 20 6f 62 6a 65 63 74 73 20 77 68 69 |' as objects whi| 00000390 63 68 20 68 61 76 65 20 62 65 65 6e 20 63 6f 6e |ch have been con| 000003a0 73 74 69 74 75 74 65 64 20 62 79 20 6e 61 74 75 |stituted by natu| 000003b0 72 65 2e 20 54 68 69 73 20 64 65 66 69 6e 69 74 |re. This definit| 000003c0 69 6f 6e 20 69 73 20 6e 6f 74 20 77 69 74 68 6f |ion is not witho| 000003d0 75 74 20 69 74 73 20 64 69 66 66 69 63 75 6c 74 |ut its difficult| 000003e0 69 65 73 20 62 65 63 61 75 73 65 20 61 6c 74 68 |ies because alth| 000003f0 6f 75 67 68 20 49 20 77 69 73 68 20 74 6f 20 65 |ough I wish to e| 00000400 78 63 6c 75 64 65 20 74 68 65 20 61 72 74 69 66 |xclude the artif| 00000410 69 63 69 61 6c 20 61 6e 64 20 74 68 65 20 6d 61 |icial and the ma| 00000420 6e 2d 6d 61 64 65 2c 20 6d 61 6e 20 69 73 20 6f |n-made, man is o| 00000430 66 20 63 6f 75 72 73 65 20 6e 61 74 75 72 61 6c |f course natural| 00000440 20 61 6e 64 20 73 6f 6d 65 20 6f 66 20 74 68 65 | and some of the| 00000450 20 74 68 69 6e 67 73 20 68 65 20 63 72 65 61 74 | things he creat| 00000460 65 73 20 73 75 63 68 20 61 73 20 61 6e 69 6d 61 |es such as anima| 00000470 6c 73 20 61 6e 64 20 63 72 6f 70 73 20 77 65 20 |ls and crops we | 00000480 6f 66 74 65 6e 20 61 70 70 72 65 63 69 61 74 65 |often appreciate| 00000490 20 75 6e 64 65 72 20 74 68 65 20 63 6f 6e 63 65 | under the conce| 000004a0 70 74 20 6f 66 20 6e 61 74 75 72 65 2e 20 53 75 |pt of nature. Su| 000004b0 66 66 69 63 65 20 69 74 20 74 6f 20 73 61 79 20 |ffice it to say | 000004c0 74 68 61 74 20 77 65 20 63 61 6e 20 72 65 61 73 |that we can reas| 000004d0 6f 6e 61 62 6c 79 20 61 73 73 75 6d 65 20 74 68 |onably assume th| 000004e0 61 74 20 74 68 65 72 65 20 69 73 20 61 20 67 65 |at there is a ge| 000004f0 6e 65 72 61 6c 20 63 6f 6e 63 65 70 74 20 6f 66 |neral concept of| 00000500 20 74 68 65 20 6e 61 74 75 72 61 6c 20 61 6e 64 | the natural and| 00000510 20 6e 61 74 75 72 65 20 77 69 74 68 69 6e 20 70 | nature within p| 00000520 65 6f 70 6c 65 73 20 6d 69 6e 64 73 2c 20 28 73 |eoples minds, (s| 00000530 75 63 68 20 61 73 20 68 69 6c 6c 73 2c 20 66 69 |uch as hills, fi| 00000540 65 6c 64 73 2c 20 61 6e 69 6d 61 6c 73 2c 20 69 |elds, animals, i| 00000550 6e 73 65 63 74 73 2c 20 66 6c 6f 77 65 72 73 2c |nsects, flowers,| 00000560 20 74 72 65 65 73 2c 20 69 6e 6e 6f 63 65 6e 63 | trees, innocenc| 00000570 65 2e 2e 29 20 77 68 69 63 68 20 67 65 6e 65 72 |e..) which gener| 00000580 61 6c 6c 79 20 75 6e 64 65 72 73 74 61 6e 64 73 |ally understands| 00000590 20 61 6e 64 20 63 6f 6e 66 6f 72 6d 73 20 74 6f | and conforms to| 000005a0 20 77 68 61 74 20 69 73 20 6d 65 61 6e 74 20 62 | what is meant b| 000005b0 79 20 74 68 65 20 74 65 72 6d 20 27 63 6f 6e 73 |y the term 'cons| 000005c0 74 69 74 75 74 65 64 20 62 79 20 6e 61 74 75 72 |tituted by natur| 000005d0 65 27 2e 20 49 20 61 6d 20 6e 6f 74 20 6d 61 6b |e'. I am not mak| 000005e0 69 6e 67 20 69 74 20 74 68 65 20 70 75 72 70 6f |ing it the purpo| 000005f0 73 65 20 6f 66 20 74 68 69 73 20 65 73 73 61 79 |se of this essay| 00000600 20 74 6f 20 65 78 70 6c 6f 72 65 20 74 68 65 20 | to explore the | 00000610 70 72 6f 62 6c 65 6d 73 20 6f 66 20 62 6f 75 6e |problems of boun| 00000620 64 61 72 79 20 64 69 73 63 72 65 70 61 6e 63 69 |dary discrepanci| 00000630 65 73 2e |es.| 00000633
.