AESTHETICS/PHILOSOPHY OF ART/Philosophy of music
POSSIBLE FIRST PAPER TOPICS
Philosophy 118: Aesthetics/Philosophy of Art Dr. David C. Ring
1. Morris Weitz propounds a theory that art qualifies as what he terms an open concept. He defines an open concept as one where there does not exist any necessary conditions required for an instance to fall under that concept. (See Dickie, p. 69b)
(1) What does Weitz mean by art being an open concept? What is so ‘open’ about it?
(2) Why believe that it is open? What are the arguments used to argue that art is an open
concept?
(3) What kinds of objections can be raised against this position?
(4) Why think that art is not an open concept? What arguments mitigate against the open
conception of art? Why think that there could be a non-open conception of art? What would
this mean? Answer: Essentialism/Realism/Abstract Objects/George Dickie’s Institutional
theory of art
2. (1) Explain one of the theories of art known as realism, or expressionism, or formalism. What are the main doctrines of that particular theory?
(2) Which historical philosophers have adopted such a theory of art and why did they adopt
this type of theory?
(3) What are the advantages of using this theory of art?
(4) What are the disadvantages or objections to adopting such a theory of art?
(5) What sort of artworks and artists are conducive this theory of art interpretation and explain why?
3. (1) What is John Cage’s music composition 4’33” about? (2) Why does Cage bother to compose such a piece of ‘music’? (3) Why believe that Cage’s conposition 4’33” is NOT a piece of music? (4) Why believe that Cage’s composition does constitute a piece of music? (5) Under what definitions is Cage’s composition a piece of music and under what definitions is it NOT a piece of music. Explain why in each case.
4. (1) What is Philip Alperson’s definition of music in his article on the Quia website titled “What is Music: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Music,” edited by Philip Alperson, University Park, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1987? (2) What arguments support Alperson’s definition of music? (3) Why believe that his definition of music is a good one? (4) What objections can be raised against his definition of music and be sure to explain why your objection holds against his definition and explain the significance of the objection were it to be true for the truth of his definition of music.
5. (1) What is Andrew Kania’s definition of music in his article “Definition” found in the anthology, The Routledge Companion to Music and Philosophy, edited by Theodore Gracyzk and Andrew Kania, New York: Routledge University Press, 2011.
(2) What sort of considerations does Kania raise regarding the attempt to define something?
(3) Why relevant factors does Kania consider when attempting to define music?
(4) Why does Kania choose the definition of music that he does?
(5) What are the strengths and weaknesses of Kania’s definition of music?
6. (1) What objections do you have to Andrew Kania’s definition of music in his article “Definition” found in the anthology, The Routledge Companion to Music and Philosophy, edited by Theodore Gracyzk and Andrew Kania, New York: Routledge University Press, 2011. (2) Be sure to explain both why the objection(s) would be bad for Kania’s theory of music as well as how bad would it be for his definition. (3) What aspects of music does Kania’s definition of music not observe or take into account and explain why it does this.
7. (1) What is the main point of Jennifer Judkins’ article “Silence, Sound, Noise, and Music” from The Routledge Companion to Music and Philosophy, edited by Theodore Gracyzk and Andrew Kania, New York: Routledge University Press, 2011. (2) What does Judkins have to say about silence and why does she make the claims that she does? (3) Does music require silence? Explain why or why not. (4) What insights about the philosophy of music did you get from reading her article.
8. You may also choose a well-defined topic of your choice on a significant issue found in aesthetics or the philosophy of music that we have been considering so far during the semester. It would be a good idea to clear the idea with the instructor before you write on it. You will be presenting your topic when your ORAL PROPOSAL is due in class.
9. Be sure to PERSUASIVELY ARGUE for whatever main points you make in your paper. Assume that you are trying to convince a sceptical reader to believe what you are saying. You cannot merely assert that such and so is true without providing reasons, explanations and/or evidence in support of your points. Be sure to discuss the relevance of your premises used in your argument as to why the conclusion follows were all of the premises to be true.