Aesthetic Utilitarianism -- Research on Chinese Modern Aesthetic Education Theory

Author: Du Wei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: The main reasons why "Aesthetic Utilitarianism" can be established as a reason for the modern tradition of Chinese aesthetics are as follows: , this was a "consensus" among most aestheticians in the first half of the 20th century. Not only were Wang Guowei, Cai Yuanpei, and Zhu Guangqian like this, but also young Lu Xun, Lü Ji, Lin Yutang, Zong Baihua, and Feng Zikai, among others. The contemporary aesthetics circles in our country have previously focused too much on aesthetic thought traditions that directly serve political struggles and moral education, relatively neglecting the aesthetic thought tradition that takes enlightenment as its purpose and focuses on the reconstruction of thought and culture. This cannot fully and accurately grasp the spiritual essence of modern Chinese aesthetics. Second, it originates from the problems of Chinese modernization itself. It is a product of attempting to create new thought and cultural resources with Chinese and Western intellectual and cultural resources to solve China's modernization problems. Therefore, it is a modern aesthetic tradition rooted in China's local culture with originality. Third, it is a creative outcome of the integration of Chinese and Western aesthetics and intellectual and cultural traditions. The aesthetic utilitarianism thought is directly influenced by Western modern aesthetics on one hand, and deeply rooted in China's traditional intellectual and cultural traditions on the other. The integration of the two directly addresses the solution of China's current intellectual and cultural problems. In terms of how to learn from Western aesthetic thought, how to handle the mutual reference, interpretation, supplementation, and integration of Chinese and Western aesthetic thought, it has formed methodologies that can be referenced by the present generation. Fourth, it has had a profound impact on later Chinese aesthetics. Many concepts, terms, and styles in contemporary Chinese aesthetics come from this modern aesthetic thought, possessing a life force that penetrates history and transcends time. Therefore, this aesthetic thought is the direct intellectual resource for building Chinese aesthetics today.