Aesthetics as a Guide to Ethics

In Robert Stecker & Theodore Gracyk (eds.), Aesthetics Today: A Reader. Rowman and Littlefield. pp. 370-377 (2010)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

This paper argues for several claims about the moral relevance of the aesthetic: that attention to aesthetic values may promote moral motivation; that aesthetic values should be regarded as constraining moral demands; and that the pursuit of aesthetic satisfactions may itself have positive moral value. These arguments suggest that moral thinking should be aesthetically informed to a much greater degree than has been typical. The aesthetic is a central dimension of a good life, and a life’s being good for the person living it has considerable moral weight, both in itself and because of the positive consequences for others that stem from it. Moral thinking that neglects aesthetic considerations, then, is likely to result in theories that are deficient not only from an aesthetic but from a moral point of view.

Author's Profile

Sherri Irvin
University of Oklahoma

Analytics

Added to PP
2022-01-17

Downloads
178 (#69,303)

6 months
87 (#42,270)

Historical graph of downloads since first upload
This graph includes both downloads from PhilArchive and clicks on external links on PhilPapers.
How can I increase my downloads?