An Introduction to Kant's Aesthetics: Core Concepts and Problems

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Henry E. Allison viii Acknowledgments xi About This Book xii Note on the Translation xiv Introduction 1 The Aesthetic Dimension Between Subject and Object 1 The Meaning of “Aesthetic” 4 Categories as a Guide 8 The “Moments” of a Judgment of Taste 13 1 Disinterestedness: First Moment 19 Disinterestedness as a Subjective Criterion 19 Three Kinds of Satisfaction: Agreeable, Beautiful, Good 23 2 Universality: Second Moment 27 The Argument from Self-Reflection: Private, Public, Universal 27 Subjective Universality 31 A Case of Transcendental Logic 35 Singular “but” Universal 39 How to Read Section 9 46 3 Purposiveness: Third Moment 54 Purpose without Will, Purposiveness without Purpose 54 Purposiveness and Form: Charm versus Euler 60 Of “Greatest Importance”: Beauty and Perfection 65 Beauty: Free, Dependent, and Ideal 69 4 Necessity: Fourth Moment 77 Exemplary Necessity 77 Kant’s Interpretation of the sensus communis 81 The Deduction 86 5 Fine Art, Nature, and Genius 94 Fine Art and Why It Must Seem like Nature 94 Genius and Taste 98 Genius and Aesthetic Ideas 101 6 Beyond Beauty 106 The Sublime 106 Beauty as the Symbol of Morality 113 The Analytic, the Dialectic, and the Supersensible 120 7 Two Challenges 128 Can Kant’s Aesthetics Account for the Ugly? 128 Can there be Beauty and Genius in Mathematics? 133 Summary and Overview 141 Before Kant 141 Kant’s Aesthetics 142 After Kant 146 Glossary 149 Bibliography 157 Index 171

About the Author :
Christian Helmut Wenzel is Associate Professor at the National Chi Nan University in Taiwan. He is the author of The Problem of Subjective Universality of the Judgment of Taste in Kant,published in German (2000).

Review :
"As an overall assessment, then, this is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and meticulous "guides" to Kant's aesthetic theory. Even though Wenzel clearly adopts a slightly different approach to Kant's aesthetic theory than this reviewer, this book is probably the best introductory volume currently available." Elisabeth Shellekens, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism "In sum, I highly recommend this book to students and scholars with some familiarity with Kant and the “Critique of Aesthetic Judgment.” This book will surely deepen their understanding of Kant." Kenneth F. Rogerson, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews “Wenzel’s book is an invaluable aid for all serious students of Kant’s third Critique. The reconstruction of arguments is clear and concise; the annotated bibliography is remarkably knowledgeable and helpful.” Karl Ameriks, University of Notre Dame “This volume will be indispensable to any new reader of Kant's third Critique who seeks illumination of its key concepts, insights into its philosophical context, and guidance for further study.” Eckart Förster, Johns Hopkins University