Debates in Aesthetics is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal for articles, interviews and book reviews. Published by the British Society of Aesthetics, the journal’s principal aim is to provide the philosophical community with a dedicated venue for debate in aesthetics and the philosophy of art.
In this general issue there are three original articles that range in topic from the ethics and aesthetics of the ‘body positivity’ movement, what it means to read literature as literature, and Kant’s theory of laughter. There is also a book review examining whether the title of the recently published volume, Philosophy and Film: Bridging Divides, delivers on its promise.
For this special issue Paul C. Taylor wrote a target article to which the philosophical community was invited to respond. Taylor’s article, ‘Black Reconstruction in Aesthetics’, can be seen as an extension of his earlier work, notably Black is Beautiful (2016) which was awarded the ASA monograph prize in 2017. The new issue includes Taylor’s article, responses by Joshua M. Hall, James Haile III, Falguni A. Sheth, and Rossen Ventzislavov, and a reply to these authors by Taylor. The issue is available to read and download on the Debates in Aesthetics website.
In this general issue there are three original articles that range in topic from the use of technology to facilitate sublime experiences, the static-dynamic puzzle of still life works, to the role of authenticity in aesthetic appreciation. We are also happy to present an interview with Terry Diffey, emeritus professor at the University of Sussex and long-standing member of the British Society of Aesthetics.
This issue contains four articles that seek to challenge or develop aspects of the work of Jenefer Robinson, including her views on issues such as the paradox of fiction, pictorial expression, the nature of the emotions, and the centrality of the emotions for understanding certain works of art, along with a response from Robinson. It also features a short piece by Hans Maes in which he develops an account of the importance of doing philosophy in conversation, and appositely, an interview with Murray Smith in which he discusses his commitment to the naturalistic enterprise in aesthetics and the philosophy of art in conversation with Angelo Cioffi.
This first issue of Debates in Aesthetics is concerned with the work of Stephen Davies; and, perhaps unsurprisingly given Davies’ prodigious interest in music, all three of the commentaries contained within this issue focus on his contributions to debates in the philosophy of music.
