Environment and the Arts

This title seeks to uncover the particular status of the arts in Western culture. As the arts has acquired this status, they have diverged from the other great institutions of contemporary society: from science by not being quantifiable; from religion by dwelling on the tangible; and from ethics by centring on intrinsic value and immediate satisfaction, instead of rules and values. Our engagement with art leads us to experiences of inherent value, yet the arts are not the only place we have such deep and important experiences. The unique gift of the arts perhaps lies in their ability to focus on a quality of experience we call aesthetic. This experience has intrigued philosophers and art critics since the arts began to be discussed philosophically - this book hopes to contribute to this elusive issue. As well as a consideration of this question, this text addresses the enlargement in the scope of art that characterizes the elaborate interplay between art and environment at the beginning of the 21st century. More than this, the issues raised by the changing nature of art throw traditional aesthetic theory into question, with each of the essays in this collection an addition to the range of possible responses to the situation.