tailieunhanh - THE AESTHETIC TURN/DEN ESTETISKA VANDNINGEN

All human activity has an aesthetic aspect. We are always, though at varying levels of awareness, concerned with the aesthetic qualities of our aural, haptic, kinetic, and visual sensations. If art were to be defined so broadly as to encompass any human activity or product with an aesthetic aspect, then none could be denied the status of art. This seems to me unwarranted; the possible insight seemingly captured by such an argument is adequately caught by saying that all human activity has an aesthetic aspect. . | The Aesthetic Turn Den estetiska vândningen Nordisk estetisk tidskriftTl- 2003 Aesthetics and Critique of Culture Sôren Stenlund There are several tendencies in the postmodern situation of the recent decades that have made some people say that an aesthetic turn is taking place. The increased concern with questions about quality would be one manifestation of such a tendency. But there is reason to be careful about these alleged signs of change. An important question is to what extent this tendency is a symptom of a genuine cultural change in our society and to what degree is it only an occasional trend of fashion I heard the expression the aesthetic turn for the first time from Thomas Hard av Segerstad and I remember that in his explanation of the expression he connected it with the idea of aesthetics as a first philosophy that is aesthetics as a sort of ultimate foundation. This reminded me subsequently of Nietzsche s thinking even though that may not have been in line with what Thomas meant at all. The reason I came to think of Nietzsche is rather that Nietzsche s philosophy is sometimes characterized by some contemporary influential readers of Nietzsche as an aestheticism. That is a characterisation of Nietzsche s philosophy with which I have had great difficulties. It is problematic when aestheticism is taken to mean that aesthetic values have priority over other values. Nietzsche is often concerned with what one should value with questions such as How should I live How can I confer upon my life the greatest value What do I admire What is great What is culture In what ways should I endeavour to change and improve myself Such questions are usually taken to be ethical but Nietzsche seems to recommend forms of valuation according to which aesthetic values are given priority over ethical values. And this also appears to be one reason why several contemporary philosophers tend to reject Nietzsche s message. He does not seem to these philosophers to be serious enough