Category: Art History

Introducing Aesthetics

This book introduces some of the main issues in aesthetics. It focuses on ideas and thinkers; it also makes an attempt at historical narrative. Students would find this boo replete with illustrations reasonably engaging. One of its strengths is that it illustrates the wide range of philosophical debates into which aesthetics injects itself. The book […]

Routledge A Level Philosophy

This very useful and secondary school student appropriate website, is targeted at students in Year 12 and 13. It covers a range of topics including reason and experience, why should I be governed? Why should I be moral? The idea of God, persons, knowledge of the external world, tolerance, the value of art, God and […]

The Power of Myth

Title: The Power of Myth Author: Campbell, Joseph Publisher: Anchor Books Location: New York ISBN: 0-385-41886-8 Joseph Campbell is often regarded as one of the preeminent scholars of world mythology. George Lucas credited him with influencing Star Wars. The Power of Myth is in the form of a dialogue between Campbell and Bill Moyers which […]

Puzzles About Art

Puzzles About Art: An Aesthetics Coursebook (1989) Margaret P. Battin, John Fisher, Ronald Moore, Anita Silvers Puzzles About Art is A very readable introduction to the philosophy of art that could be easily read by high school students. A very useful feature of the book is that it constantly cites ‘cases’ where philosophical problems about […]

Stephen Neale on Meaning and Interpretation

Stephen Neale discusses questions of meaning and interpretation in everyday life and in the law. How relevant are intentions? Do words carry their meanings independently of the contexts in which they are used? Although this is about the meaning of language it can be extended to a discussion on the meaning and interpretation of works […]