Overview

David Hume famously said, that reason is and ought only to be the slave of the passions. Hume's Aesthetic Theory traces the roots of aesthetics in the concepts of ""sentiment"" and ""taste"" and the epistemological possibilities that Hume's use of them has offered. Aesthetics has tended to concentrate on forms of aesthetic experience and attitude that developed after Kant's Third Critique , but these concepts contrast with aesthetic thought in the eighteenth century, which is based on ""sentiment"" and ""taste"". Neglect of the earlier eighteenth-century concepts obscures the alternatives available to aesthetic theory and misreads the history of aesthetics. In this respect, Davney Townsend argues that Hume's contribution to aesthetic thought has been insufficiently explored and that attention to it can shed light on the theoretical underpinning of Hume's philosophy as a whole. More importantly, it can deepen our understanding of the history of aesthetics and offer renewed possibilities for contemporary aesthetics. Hume's Aesthetic Theory is a major contribution to our understanding of Hume's general philosophy and will provide fresh insights into the history of aesthetics. It will prove invaluable to all those interested in Hume and aesthetics.

Full Product Details

9780415233965

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Reviews

'Hume's Aesthetic Theory is an immensely stimulating book ... is rich and complex. Original and thorough, it opens new avenues to the understanding of Hume's philosophy.' 'Townsend, in this refreshing and enlightening book, renews and retells Hume's aesthetics and provides us with food for thought (or sense) in the process.' - Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie

'Hume's Aesthetic Theory is an immensely stimulating book ... is rich and complex. Original and thorough, it opens new avenues to the understanding of Hume's philosophy.' 'Townsend, in this refreshing and enlightening book, renews and retells Hume's aesthetics and provides us with food for thought (or sense) in the process.' - Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie

Author Information

Dabney Townsend is Professor of Philosophy at Armstrong Atlantic University, Georgia, USA.

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