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Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art

6 weekly meetings on campus, on Wednesdays at 6.30-8.30pm, starting from Wednesday 1 October - we are no longer taking enrolments for this course.

Overview

Why is it that we can lump Mona Lisa, The Lord of the Rings, a urinal, and lights turning on and off into one category, namely 'art'? What feature(s) do they all have in common? Some of you might disagree with one or more of these being art - can such disagreement be resolved? Speaking of disagreement, if 'taste' is subjective, what is the point in arguing about which film is best, and why do we listen to film critics about which films to see? Can immoral art be good and moral art be bad? Is there a difference between looking at an artwork on a computer screen and looking at the same artwork in the gallery, and could scanning the brain explain this?

In this course, we'll take a tour of the philosophical questions raised by art and have a go at finding some answers. In doing so, the course will equip you with not only the tools to genuinely engage with questions about what makes art art, and what makes an artwork a good artwork, but also to more broadly introduce you to the incredibly useful tools of philosophical methodology. This course requires no pre-requisites in relation to either art history or theory, nor philosophy: not knowing your Matisse from your Monet, or your Beatles from your Bach, will be of no hinderance. Do you think "anything can be art these days"? Come and put your claim to the test. 

Syllabus

  • Week 1: Defining art
  • Week 2: Problems with evaluating art
  • Weeks 3-4: Art and… knowledge, morality and politics
  • Week 5: Feminist aesthetics
  • Week 6: Aesthetics beyond the brain.

Course lecturer

Dr Harry Drummond completed his PhD in Philosophy at Liverpool in 2024. His research aims to address questions about art and morality using the tools of contemporary philosophy of mind, psychology, and neuroscience. His published work includes work at these intersections, including on political art, the aesthetics of food, dancing and watching films together, the value of art, and AI aesthetic experiences.

For Continuing Education, Harry has delivered a variety of courses in Philosophy, from introductions looking at key questions, concepts, and debates, all the way to how it can help us address social, environmental, technological and medical crises.

Course fee

  • Standard fee: £95
  • Concession fee: £50.