Values of Art (PHIL20048)

For cultural critic bell hooks, art has the power to transform lives -- but culture, class, gender and race conspire to ensure that only a select few benefit from art’s transformative power. But in what respects, exactly, can art transform lives? In other words, why is it so important that everyone should have access to it? This subject aims to address this question. 

As the subject progresses, we will be critically evaluating various philosophical theories regarding the value of art. Questions we will explore include: Can art facilitate understanding, and if so, understanding of what? Is art necessarily expressive? What is artistic expression, anyway? What distinguishes the art forms, and what (if anything) unifies them?  Can art give us the strength to carry on in the face of life's suffering? Can art prompt political action -- and if it can, should it?

Readings will range from the historical (including Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche) to the contemporary (including Iris Murdoch, Martha Nussbaum and W. E. B. DuBois). To inform our discussion, we will visit Melbourne's art galleries, listen to music, and reflect on our own creative practices.