
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1 Introduction 1 Introduction
-
2 Four Conditions on Legitimately Making Judgments of Beauty 2 Four Conditions on Legitimately Making Judgments of Beauty
-
2.1 Disinterested Pleasure 2.1 Disinterested Pleasure
-
2.2 Free Play 2.2 Free Play
-
2.3 The Object’s Form of Purposiveness without a Purpose 2.3 The Object’s Form of Purposiveness without a Purpose
-
2.4 Common Sense 2.4 Common Sense
-
-
3 Kantian Aesthetic Humility 3 Kantian Aesthetic Humility
-
3.1 Acknowledging Aesthetic Limitations 3.1 Acknowledging Aesthetic Limitations
-
3.2 Owning One’s Capacities for Judgments of the Beautiful 3.2 Owning One’s Capacities for Judgments of the Beautiful
-
3.3 Esteeming Other Aesthetic Appreciators 3.3 Esteeming Other Aesthetic Appreciators
-
-
4 Conclusion 4 Conclusion
-
References References
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
33 Kant on Beauty and Humility
Get accessSamantha Matherne is Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University. She specializes in Kant, Post-Kantian philosophy (especially Neo-Kantianism and Phenomenology), and Aesthetics. She is the author of Cassirer (2021) for the Routledge Philosophers Series.
-
Published:22 October 2024
Cite
Abstract
At the heart of Kant’s aesthetics is a universalist theory of beauty. On his view, when I judge something to be beautiful, I am not judging it to be beautiful just ‘for me’; I am judging it to be beautiful ‘for everyone’. However, some have worried that this universalist view of beauty promotes a kind of arrogance in aesthetic appreciators. Although one can see why these concerns have been raised, a closer look at Kant’s theory of beauty reveals that far from encouraging aesthetic arrogance, his theory promises to serve as a corrective for it. In this vein, this chapter examines how Kant’s account of the conditions that we must meet in order to make a judgment of the beautiful cuts against such arrogance. It, furthermore, explores how Kant’s view of beauty implicitly offers resources for developing an account of aesthetic humility as a virtue of aesthetic appreciation, which can serve as a corrective to the vices of aesthetic arrogance and servility. By attending to Kant’s account of these conditions and this Kantian model of aesthetic humility, this chapter aims to bring out a more promising version of Kant’s universalist account of beauty than he is often credited with.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2024 | 12 |
November 2024 | 16 |
December 2024 | 6 |
January 2025 | 10 |
February 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 2 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.