A Critique of Moderate Formalism

Simon Fokt

doi:10.33134/eeja.102

Abstract

Moderate formalism is the view that all artworks which have aesthetic properties have formal aesthetic properties, and some but not all of those works also have non-formal aesthetic properties. Nick Zangwill develops this view in his Metaphysics of Beauty after having argued against its alternatives – extreme formalism and anti-formalism. This article reviews his arguments against the rivals of moderate formalism, and argues that the rejection of anti-formalism is unjustified. Zangwill does not succeed in proving that the broadly determined (context-determined) properties of artworks are in some cases irrelevant to their aesthetic properties – and following that, interpretation and assessment. A historical argument presented here shows how aesthetic properties of every work must partly supervene on this work’s contextual properties. In particular, this disproves Zangwill’s claim that epistemological matters are unessential in determining the artwork’s properties, and exposes some problems his account has with explaining relations between nonaesthetic and aesthetic properties.

Highlights

Moderate formalism is the view that all artworks which have aesthetic properties have formal aesthetic properties, and some but not all of those works have non-formal aesthetic properties
I Moderate formalism, a view developed by Nick Zangwill in his Metaphysics of Beauty, states roughly that all works of art have aesthetic properties determined by the physical features of the artefact that instantiates them, and some have aesthetic properties determined in part by the history and the context of their creation
Any accurate readings of such a counter would only be possible if the ‘tested’ artwork’s non-formal aesthetic properties were taken into account. This approach does not disprove moderate formalism altogether, it forces it to assume a very implausible position – if any given work’s broad non-aesthetic properties were irrelevant to its aesthetic properties, to prevent the inconsistency arising from different interpretations of the nonaesthetic-aesthetic relations, one would have to claim that most art perceivers throughout history have been wrong

Summary

Introduction

Moderate formalism is the view that all artworks which have aesthetic properties have formal aesthetic properties, and some but not all of those works have non-formal aesthetic properties.

Results

Conclusion