Kant and Hegel on Aesthetic Reflexivity

Bertram, Georg W.

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Georg W. Bertram

Professor of Philosophy, FU Berlin, Germany

Abstract

The paper aims at reevaluating a conception of the aesthetic that was developed by Kant and Hegel but that has been widely neglected due to the fact that their positions in aesthetics have been wrongly considered to be antagonistic to one another. The conception states that the aesthetic is a practice of reflecting on other human practices. Kant was the first to articulate this conception, but nevertheless falls short of giving a satisfying account of it, as he doesn’t succeed in explaining its objective aspect. I claim that Hegel resolves this problem by understanding works of art as objects that thermalize essential orientations of historical-cultural practices. But his explanation fails to grasp the specificity of art as a reflective practice. However, Hegel’s position gives us a hint for how to deal with this problem: Reflection has to be understood in a practical, and not in a cognitive sense.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Philosophical Investigations

Kant and Hegel on Aesthetic Reflexivity

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Volume 12, Issue 24 - Serial Number 24
articles
October 2018
Pages 95-113

Kant and Hegel on Aesthetic Reflexivity

References

References

Send comment about this article

Volume 12, Issue 24 - Serial Number 24 articlesOctober 2018Pages 95-113

Volume 12, Issue 24 - Serial Number 24
articles
October 2018
Pages 95-113