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Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art

When you'll study it
Semester 1
CATS points
15
ECTS points
7.5
Level
Level 5
Module lead
Aaron Ridley
Academic year
2025-26

Module overview

You might watch a stunning film, hear a delightful song, enjoy a beautiful sunset, read a dreadful poem, attend an elegant dance, or see a garish building. Experiences like this can stimulate thoughts and feelings of great depth, and provide pleasure or displeasure of an utterly unique sort. Indeed, our experience of works and art or of nature can be transformative; they can change one’s thoughts and feelings about the world. It is no surprise, then, that many of the great philosophers from ancient times to the present day have contributed to aesthetics, by investigating the nature and importance of such experiences and the judgements they give rise to. This module aims to introduce you to some influential theories and arguments in philosophical aesthetics and to give you the tools to reflect critically on those theories.