logo
episode-header-image
May 2017
17m 5s

Aaron Meskin on the Definition of Art

EDMONDS AND WARBURTON
About this episode

What is Art? That's not an easy question to answer. Some philosophers even think it can't be answered. Aaron Meskin discusses this question on this episode of Aesthetics Bites. Aesthetics Bites is a podcast series of interviews with top thinkers in the philosophy of art. It is a collaboration between the London Aesthetics Forum and Philosophy Bites and is made possible by a grant from the British Society of Aesthetics.

Up next
Oct 19
Daisy Dixon on Depraved Art
Can a work of art be immoral? What does that mean? Daisy Dixon, author of Depraved: The Story of Dangerous Art discusses this question with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. 
23m 57s
Oct 11
Heather Widdows on the Beauty Ideal
Which physical characteristics does a woman have to have to be considered beautiful? Are there many different cultural variations on this? Heather Widdows, author of Perfect Me, thinks that today there is a single set of charactestics and that pressure to conform with these has p ... Show More
19m 4s
Sep 21
Miranda Fricker on Blame
We blame people, and sometimes we blame institutions. Miranda Fricker investigates the nature of blame and its functions, draws some important distinctions, and considers the metaphysical implications of this practice. 
23m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
Navigating Cheesiness, Kitsch, and the Quest for Authenticity: Episode 24 of The Painting Podcast
This episode delves into the fine line between cheesiness, kitsch, and high art. From the pastoral scenes of Gainsborough to the consumer culture critiques of Warhol and the polling experiments of Komar and Melamid, we examine how artists challenge and redefine our notions of tas ... Show More
29m 25s
Jun 2023
Art and AI with Raphaël Millière
Machine minds can work a paintbrush, but are they really making art? In episode 80 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk with guest Raphaël Millière, scholar and philosophy lecturer at Columbia University, on the aesthetic merits of computer-generated art. They discuss the thorny ma ... Show More
59m 59s
Mar 2015
Episode #054 ... Hume pt. 4 - Art
On this episode of the podcast, we discuss Hume’s views on taste and find out whether or not all of our opinions about art are equally valid. First, we compare the poetry of Shakespeare and Shel Silverstein, the music of Beethoven and Skrillex, and throw in the profound prose of ... Show More
30m 58s
Jun 2023
what makes art good?
when i experience art, i can almost immediately determine whether or not i think it's good. but i rarely ask myself why it's good. and recently i decided to do that. what's complicated about art is that it’s subjective, and everybody connects to art differently. so good art to on ... Show More
37m 25s
Dec 2017
Episode #113 ... The Frankfurt School pt. 6 - Art As A Tool For Liberation
Today we talk about the revolutionary potential of Art through the eyes of Herbert Marcuse. Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis Social: Instagram: http ... Show More
24 m
Jun 2023
Episode 29 - Art Corporation Inc
<p>On this episode, Jerry and Matt explore the actively underway corporatization &amp; professionalization of the art industry and follow that up with questions related to the apparent artist class structure, and we try to suss out the answer to “Who is the author of an abstract ... Show More
1h 6m
Feb 2020
🎨 Art (S02E05) + Transcript
Listen to the episode to find out whether Rory has a painting of Maria in his bedroom or not, as well as what it takes him to be cultured and sophisticated. Some questions significantly less important will also be touched upon, including: What is good art and what is bad art? Tu ... Show More
14m 29s
Mar 2025
Selects: Seven - No, Wait, Five - Mysteries of the Art World
When you get a bunch of artistic types together into a community – aka, the art world – some intrigue and mystery are bound to arise. Listen in to this classic episode as Chuck and Josh cover strangeness around Van Gogh, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Vermeer – plus don’t miss Hilter!S ... Show More
47m 4s
Jun 2015
Episode #060 ... Kant pt. 5 - The Sublime
On this episode of the podcast, we attempt to tackle the elusive concept of the sublime. We begin by clarifying everything the sublime is NOT, and then attempt to pin it down by considering a common motif that is has been associated with the sublime throughout history. Next, we d ... Show More
31m 24s