AESTHETIC DISINTERESTEDNESS

In this monograph, Thomas Hilgers introduces and defends a new and sophisticated account of aesthetic disinterestedness. Elaborating upon the work of Kant, Schopenhauer, Bullough and others, Hilgers claims that artworks have an aesthetic function, because they typically address our senses as well as our imagination, and require us to adopt a disinterested attitude towards what they show or present. While the book is primarily a work in aesthetics, the history of aesthetics, philosophy of film, and philosophy of theater, the author’s notion of aesthetic disinterestedness also contributes to work in philosophy of mind, philosophy of perception, and ethics.