Aesthetic Value

Abstract

This chapter develops a foundational account of aesthetic value in general. It presents an analysis of aesthetic value as ‘objectified final value’. It is not only that we can aesthetically value the world, but also that we only really value the world in its own right by means of aesthetic value. This analysis is then underwritten with a key psychological claim: that aesthetic values are ‘distal versions’ of practical values. Moreover, the intensity of each aesthetic value rests on an ‘essential tension’ where a psychological reward is balanced against a challenge. It is then argued that this characterization demands a realist, object-focused (rather than experience-focused) model of aesthetic value. This permits the genuine sharing of aesthetic value.