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3.3 - Art and Meaning

from III - Engagements

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2021

By
Richard Viladesau
Edited by
Alexander J. B. Hampton  and
John Peter Kenney
Alexander J. B. Hampton
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
John Peter Kenney
Affiliation:
Saint Michael's College, Vermont
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Summary

Is beauty simply subjective, or does it have an “objective” foundation and referent? Is art simply self-referential, or can it be a mediation of ontological values? Modern art and aesthetics offer contradictory replies to these questions; but the Platonic tradition of metaphysical realism offers an integration of the arts with intelligibility and value that would otherwise be lacking.

Keywords

aestheticsartbeautyrealism
Type
Chapter
Information
Christian Platonism
A History
 , pp. 408 - 431
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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