Aesthetics: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

The central thesis, that aesthetic values and tastes are culture-bound, I believe to be fallacious. This little book reviews some interesting observations supporting its point of view, but neglects all that would contradict it.

The usual overly simplistic two dimensional woke drivel with more than a touch of ressentiment I'm sure.

It opens a broad dimension and perspective of our rigid concept of aesthetics. The author argues deeply with art examples and also daily life aspects. As a musicology student, my perspective goes deeper than before.

It's really for very young students who know virtually nothing about psychology, perception or art history, western or non-western. He is so concerned not to scare anyone away with anything complex that he spends too much time worrying about occidentocentricity. We all get it that other cultures have made different art, and that we won't ever be able to fully understand why they made the art that they did. He says almost nothing about music, a fault in my view.

This book provides beginners with the basic tools to help them understand a rather complex topic.

If I could, i would ask for a refund...

I wanted an introduction to aesthetics and got a "critical" introduction to it instead. The author definitely has his own take on aesthetics, but it resonated with me, so I enjoyed it quite a lot. Do not expect to get an unbiased theoretical breakdown of the subject. This book is more the author's personal take on the topic. Still quite interesting.