Refactoring Aesthetics - Frontiers of the Century

Author: (German) Wolfgang Welsch
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: The Century Humanities Series includes five series: "The Century Library," "The Century Frontier," "Miniature Classics," "University Classics," and "Open Humanities." Each series is distinct yet complementary. "Clarifying the context of Western thought and renewing the academic tradition of China" serves as the editorial guideline for "The Century Library." The library is divided into two major book series: the Chinese Studies series and the Western Studies series. The Chinese Studies series, starting from the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, comprehensively organizes academic works since modern China, aiming to provide a progressive framework for contemporary reflection on China's social and spiritual conditions. The Western Studies series aims to systematically translate classic texts from ancient Greece and Rome to the present, based on the overall progress of Western civilization, thereby showcasing the emergence and evolution of Western thought traditions and laying a solid textual foundation for addressing core issues in modern China. In parallel, "The Century Frontier" focuses on significant academic and intellectual topics and new developments since World War II, showcasing recent achievements in various disciplines and the evolving dimensions of contemporary cultural trends. "Miniature Classics" collects classic works by renowned masters in relatively concise forms, highlighting their distinctive styles and profound insights. This book is a representative work by the famous German postmodern philosopher Wolfgang Welsch on contemporary aesthetic issues. The author critically examines the phenomenon of aestheticization in the contemporary global context, elucidating the relationship between aesthetics, ethics, and philosophy, particularly focusing on aesthetic issues in modern architecture and art. The book explores new problems, new constructions, and new missions for aesthetics. The author argues that contemporary aesthetics is overly pervasive and excessively (pursues fashion), necessitating a restructuring of aesthetics. Aesthetics must transcend the issues of art and philosophy and encompass daily life, perceptual attitudes, and media culture. Aesthetics must also focus on the development of contemporary technology and value the significant changes in auditory and visual cultures.