The Philosophy of Art: The Question of Definition

Drawing on the philosophies of art developed by the continental authors and studies of Anglo-American philosophers, this book presents a panorama of the philosophy of art. It discusses definitions offered from the analytical school including Arthur Dantos representationalism, Diperts theories of artefactualism, Dickies institutional and procedural theories and Levinsons historical and cultural theories. From the continental theories it reflects on Hegels notion of philosophy of art, Martin Heideggers and Hans Georg Gadamers hermeneutic tradition and Alexius Meinongs theory of objects. This range of definitions and theories are judged and defended using a form of representationalism that begins with the results of Arthur Dantos thinking and integrates the aesthetic reflection of the Baumgarten School. The result is not only a presentation of philosophy of art from the beginning of the twentieth century to present day, but a study that proposes a theory capable of synthesizing the finest contributions of the analytic and continental traditions.