Aesthetic Utilitarianism

Author: Du Wei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: There are mainly the following reasons why "aesthetic utilitarianism" can be established as a reason for the modern tradition of Chinese aesthetics: , this was a "consensus" among most aestheticians in the first half of the 20th century, not only Wang Guowei, Cai Yuanpei, and Zhu Guangqian, but also young Lu Xun, Lü Ji, Lin Yutang, Zong Baihua, and Feng Zikai. The contemporary aesthetics circles in our country have previously paid too much attention to aesthetic thought traditions that directly serve political struggles and moral education, relatively neglecting the aesthetic thought tradition with the aim of enlightenment and focusing 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, being a product of attempting to create new thought and culture using 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 as well as intellectual and cultural traditions. On the one hand, the ideas of aesthetic utilitarianism are directly influenced by Western modern aesthetics, and on the other hand, they are deeply rooted in China's traditional intellectual and cultural traditions. The integration of the two directly addresses the problems of China's current intellectual and cultural issues. In terms of how to draw on Western aesthetic ideas and how to handle the mutual reference, interpretation, supplementation, and integration of Chinese and Western aesthetic ideas, 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.