An Introduction to Contemporary Aesthetics

An Introduction to Contemporary Aesthetics: Art, Community, and Experience gives students and other readers a comprehensive sense of the dynamic issues and problems in aesthetics and philosophy of art today.

Emmie Malone is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at San Jose State University, USA. She is the author of an open educational history of philosophy coursebook, Inventing Knowledge: A Global & Historical Introduction to Philosophy (2025). Elizabeth Scarbrough is Associate Teaching Professor at Florida International University, USA. Scarbrough currently serves as a trustee of the American Society for Aesthetics and as the co-chair of their Feminist Caucus Committee.

Introduction Part I: Foundational Questions 1. Aesthetic Value 2. Defining Art and Aesthetic Obligations 3. Good and Bad Taste Part II: Key Concepts 4. Interpretation: Is the Author's Intention Relevant to Work Interpretation? 5. Fiction: Its Nature, Function, and Significance 6. Authenticity: What is it, Does it Matter, and Why? Part III: Applied Aesthetics 7. Uncanny Terrain: Mapping the Landscape of Philosophy of Horror 8. Aesthetic Life in the Digital Age: How Emerging Technologies Affect Creativity, Consumption, and Community 9. Why Play Games?: The Value of Videogames 10. Humor as a Tool (and a Weapon) Part IV: The Value of Aesthetic Life 11. Immoral Art, Immoral Artists, and the Ethical Fan 12. The Ugly Side of Beauty: Personal Beauty, Oppression, and Style 13. There's No Place Like Home: A Sense of Place in Everyday Aesthetics 14. Existential Aesthetics: Self-Understanding in a Messy World