Aesthetics beyond Aesthetics

Abstract

The paper advocates an opening up of aesthetics beyond its traditionally prevailing frame, the compression of art. “Aesthetics beyond Aesthetics” means an aesthetics beyond artistic – beyond the mere contemplation of art. It conceives of aesthetics as a discipline covering the full range of aisthesis and exhibiting a cross-disciplinary structure. a) The current processes of global aestheticization (concerning individual and urban styling, the living environment, economics, ecology, the sciences, etc.) extend the aesthetic and at the same time sell its cut as well as esteem. b) The same applies to the current derealization of reality due to the influence and aesthetic impact of the electronic media. c) As far as the order of the senses is concerned, we are witnessing a breakdown of the traditional primacy of vision and a reconfiguration of aisthesis altogether. d) A revalidation of experiences outside the electronic media is occurring, placing particular emphasis on those aspects which are inimitable and unsubstitutable by media-experience. – These processes affect our aesthetic understanding and require consideration by aesthetics. The territory of aesthetics needs to be recharted. Instead of art, aisthesis should constitute the focus of the discipline. Accordingly, a transdisciplinary structure of the discipline becomes advisable. Aesthetics should become a field of research which comprehends all questions concerning aisthesis – including contributions from philosophy, sociology, art history, psychology, anthropology, neurosciences, etc. These branches should be integrated into the institutional structure of aesthetics. Broadening aesthetics beyond the narrow scope of art finally turns out to be advantageous even for the sake of an understanding of art. Art can more adequately be dealt from the aspect of an aesthetics which is no restricted to the analysis of art alone. This becomes particularly evident with respect to the perception of artworks.