Philosophy and the Arts

Midterm Exam Study Guide

Midterm: October 14, 2015

Short Answer Section: The following terms are to help you in studying for the short answer section of the exam. There will be 10 short answer questions of the exam, of which you are to answer 8 (5 points each).

Originality and geniusArt and censorship

Authors and authorityPlato and the poets

Consumer revolutionDisenfranchisement of art

Art and representationInstitutional theory

Consequences of photographyReadymade art

Art proper/art as amusementConceptual art

Higher/lower pleasures (Mill)sublime

Standard of Tasteart as play

Delicacyart and sport

Experiencecognitive theory

What is art, for Tolstoyintentional fallacy

Edge of chaos structuralism

Postmodernismlanguage games

Essay question. Two of the following three essay topics will be on the midterm. You will be required to write on one of those two (60 points):

  1. A common understanding of art is that it is representational. Discuss what it means to think of art as representational. Who are some philosophers who thought of art in this way? What are some problems with understanding art as representational, and how does avant-garde art challenge this understanding? Elaborate and be sure to bring in examples.
  1. In his essay on the “Standard of Taste,” Hume argues that although one’s taste is neither true or false, it can be better or worse than someone else’s. Elaborate this argument. What are some of the problems Graham has with Hume’s arguments? And finally, contrast Hume’s understanding of the standard of taste with another of the theories we have discussed in class.
  1. Compare and contrast the institutional theory of art with what Wittgenstein says about art. Feel free to bring in any of the other theories or ideas discussed in class to assist in laying out the similarities and differences between institutional theory (Danto and Dickie in particular) and Wittgenstein.