Posted on: 2021-04-22
Art moves through realms of multifaceted explorations. Some look at art from a purely aesthetic point of view, some see it a vehicle for change by addressing ethics and speaks to the politically charged questions of morality and values. Said so, Art reciprocates this feeling with Philosophy. They relate and influence each other. More so, the debate on the relationship between aesthetics and ethics needs a bit of attention. Especially when the world constantly seems to be standing on the brink of Polarities. Do we need art and what difference art can make.Some philosophers argue that art offers an opportunity to provide insights into human nature and not only beauty. It leads to greater understanding of our ethical and moral obligations.
Edmund Burke has solicited that the feeling of Sublime can be elicited by Natural disaster as well as a large scale of art. It can lead to appreciation of something that is greater than us. Sublime can acknowledge the majestic nature of viewing disaster or art to induce submission or a sense of respect towards things that are beyond comprehension.
Having said that, Kant has endorsed the moral significance of art, as experiencing an art is experiencing the moral ideals without making judgements. I think this is cruel for us to understand in the current phase of human development. Art offers a window of understanding the change and making peace with it. It takes off the resistance in accepting the harsh reality of nature and life and facilitates change.
As Arthur Danto points out Political significance of Art, challenging our assumptions about the world and prompting us to question the status quo. Danto argues that art can be a powerful force for change, as it can provoke us to think about important ethical and social issues in new and unexpected ways.
Overall, the relationship between philosophy and art is a complex and multifaceted one, with many different ideas and perspectives to consider. By exploring the relationship between aesthetics and ethics, we can gain a deeper understanding of how art can shape our perceptions of the world around us, and how it can contribute to our moral and ethical development as individuals and as a society. Friedrich Nietzsche believed that art was the highest form of human expression.
Art is individualistic expression. Art viewing is a very private and personal experience, It inspires ideas that are independent of the social contains and polarised dynamics. And yet it has power to share the ideas with community and inspire individualism in community we live in. More than ever, our society, community, country needs this kind of thinking. Where one decision is not dictate on mass majorities and forcing minorities to fit in a general dye. Meaningful change can occur when there is shift in individual thinking. It brings a culture of leadership rather than herd mentality. Art can do it for us.