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The final two weeks of our class will be devoted to questions that arise in
Aesthetics beyond the western tradition. Obviously, we will not be able to
explore all other cultures, or even dig especially deeply into those we do
explore. A full treatment of these questions would require an extensive
understanding of the ethnicity, culture, history etc., in which each
"aesthetic" is situated. You may not have realized how much western
understanding you implicitly brought to bare on your study of our previous
essays. You are about to be pitched head-long into very new territory,
requiring a particular "world-view." I suggest that you use the
following questions as guidelines for your thinking and writing:
 | What are the main components of the aesthetic you are studying, according
to the author of your essay? Do these components square with your own
intuitions about that culture? Do they square with other reading you have
done, or experiences you have had with that culture or its people? |
| What sort of art is referred to in the essay? Can you find examples in the
Library or on the Web? Can you connect these examples with the views
espoused in the essay? |
| What philosophical presuppositions about the culture in question underlie
the study of its aesthetics? For example, what is the espoused view of human
nature? Of truth? Of goodness? Of justice or freedom? What counts as
reality? What counts as beauty? |
| How do the aesthetic ideas discussed in your essay compare with various
western aesthetics you have studied in this course? Are there significant
differences? Can you pinpoint the overlapping ideas? Be specific. Integrate
past readings when appropriate. |
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