Aesthetics - (Volume 1)

Author: Hegel
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1997-02-01
Features: These lectures are about the beautiful; their subject is the vast realm of beauty, to be more precise, it is art, or rather, the beautiful art. For this subject, the term "Asthetik" is not entirely appropriate, because the more precise meaning of "Asthetik" is the science of perception and emotion. Even in this sense, beauty only began to become a new science or rather a branch of philosophy in the Wolffian school; at that time in Germany, people usually looked at artworks based on the pleasure, admiration, fear, pity, and other emotions they evoked. Since the term "Asthetik" is inappropriate, to be more precise, it is superficial, some people tried to find alternative names, such as "Kal－listik." However, this name is also not entirely suitable, because the science it refers to discusses not general beauty but only the beauty of art. Therefore, the author will for now continue to use the term "Asthetik," as the name itself is of no great importance to the author, and since it has already been adopted by general language, it is acceptable to retain it. The proper name of the science the author discusses is "Philosophy of Art," or more precisely, "Philosophy of Beautiful Art."