Shanghai Literature and Arts Academic Library: A Theory of Aesthetic Mediation

Author: Lao Chengwan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-01-01
Features: A Theory of Aesthetic Mediation was first published in 1986 by Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House as part of the "Literary Exploration Series." It was reprinted once in the following ten years and printed multiple times, leaving a profound impact on readers. Jiang Kongyang wrote the preface for the book, praising it as "a rising star, standing alone" and "pioneering a new field in aesthetic research." It is an invaluable work in the field of aesthetics.
Many people consider aesthetics to be a profound and difficult subject, and many are only able to "long for it" but turn away. A Theory of Aesthetic Mediation is a collection of the essence of the author's renowned works, A Theory of Aesthetic Mediation and Aesthetic Cultural Choice. It is divided into two parts: The first part focuses on aesthetic cognition, emphasizing the cross-section of individual synchronic aesthetics. The second part, on the one hand, emphasizes the theoretical background and explains the logical necessity of aesthetic mediation from a general framework. On the other hand, it takes the relationship between the human aesthetic psychological ontology and the general object ontology as its perspective, discussing the existence and theoretical significance of aesthetic mediation from the height of human nature theory. This makes the study of aesthetic mediation involve major issues such as "the formation of nature into life" (Chapter 7) and "psychological mechanisms" (Chapters 9 and 10), thereby giving it a theoretical connotation of aesthetic philosophy and a deep meaning in anthropology.
A Theory of Aesthetic Mediation adopts a new methodology, breaking through rigid ways of thinking and causing a great stir in the field of aesthetics. This book is a peak in the contemporary Chinese aesthetics of interpreting the essence of beauty from the perspective of classical philosophy. Its unique significance lies in its use of rational, logical, and analytical thinking to dissolve the dualistic context in aesthetic research. It is also a successful representative of contemporary aesthetics in this way. In the sense of reflecting on and critiquing rational dogmatism and mechanical materialism, Mr. Lao Chengwan distinguishes himself from his predecessors, while on the other hand, aesthetic mediation differs from his next generation. The latter takes irrationality or "corporeality" as the logical starting point for aesthetic research, with a philosophical foundation that is entirely different from classical Western philosophy. Its focus is no longer the socio-historical "human essence" that Mr. Lao was passionate about, but the immediate "human existence" that leaps with life.
As for the complexities and debates between these perspectives—whether this is right or wrong, or which is stronger or weaker—it may take more time to clarify and evaluate.