Overview

Across these essays Arnold Berleant demonstrates how aesthetic values and theory can be used to reappraise our social practices. He tackles issues within the built environment, everyday life, and politics, breaking down the dichotomy between the natural and the human. His work represents a fresh approach to traditional philosophical questions in not only ethics, but in metaphysics, truth, meaning, psychology, phenomenology, and social and moral philosophy. Topics covered include the cultural aesthetics of environment, ecological aesthetics, the aesthetics of terrorism, and the subversion of beauty. The corruption of taste by the forces of commercial interests as well as how aesthetics can advance our understanding of violence are also considered. Berleant’s exploration is supported by his analysis of 19th-century art to the present day, starting with impressionism through to postmodernism and contemporary artistic interventions. By critically examining the field in this way and casting new light on social understanding and practice, this collection makes a substantive contribution in identifying and clarifying central human issues, guided by an understanding of aesthetic engagement as a powerful tool for social critique.

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9781350349360

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""Arnold Berleant has been a very prolific author for more than half a century, always exploring new possibilities for aesthetic research. In The Social Aesthetics of Human Environments, he proposes focusing upon ""aesthetic communities"" an order based on the character and quality of human relations, a novel angle worth pursuing."" --Katya Mandoki, Ph.D. National System of Researchers, Israel ""Remarkable in its prescience, Berleant's work on social aesthetics, aesthetic engagement, and negative aesthetics propels aesthetics toward a long overdue re-engagement with life and the world. His impressively wide-ranging discussion illuminates how aesthetics is at the core of our social existence and an instrument of democracy and human fulfillment."" --Yuriko Saito, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Rhode Island School of Design, USA ""The Social Aesthetics of Human Environments fascinatingly exposes the transformations of philosophical aesthetics and art since modernity until the present day, leading to their inclusiveness, and focus on participation, engagement, and experience. It presents a strong ethical and moral standing, having political value."" --Aleksandra Lukaszewicz, Professor in Culture and Religion Studies, The Polish Society of Aesthetics, Poland"

Author Information

Arnold Berleant is Professor (Emeritus) of Philosophy at Long Island University, USA, and Past President of the International Association of Aesthetics.

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