Aesthetic Experiences and Their Objects

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter discusses the basics of Blaustein’s aesthetics, which is seemingly one of the main fields of his original philosophical project. Some scholars, e.g., Roman Ingarden, Stanisław Pazura, Bohdan Dziemidok, or, more recently, Wioletta Miskiewicz and Zofia Rosińska, have claimed that Blaustein should be regarded first and foremost as an aesthetician. Indeed, aesthetics is not so much the terminus a quo of his philosophy but rather its terminus ad quem. In this regard, in Chap. 4, it was suggested that Blaustein redefined Kazimierz Twardowski’s theory of presentations to address the question of diverse aesthetic experiences. Moreover, Chap. 6 proposed the 1928 book on Husserl as the key to understanding Blaustein’s aesthetic theory, since in this book he argued that sensations are the basis of lived experiences, including aesthetic experiences. On the whole, aesthetics denotes a philosophical theory or theories concerning beauty and, for the most part, art. More specifically, it raises questions about, among other things, aesthetic values, taste, the aesthetic object and its relation to artworks, particular experiences that are described as aesthetic, or the attitude employed in such experiences; finally—starting from Immanuel Kant and his legacy—it asks about aesthetic judgment. Blaustein referred to a variety of traditional aesthetic topics, but all the listed topics were not equally important to him precisely because of the different traditions that inspired him. Whereas the question of aesthetic experience was central in his writings, the problems of aesthetic values or taste were rather marginal. Additionally, the issues of aesthetic objects and the specific attitude are important for understanding his approach. In turn, the topic of aesthetic judgment is simply absent in his writings. This clear shift in focus from beauty (as in the classic definition of aesthetics) and judgment (as in Kant’s philosophy) to an emphasis on experience seemingly followed from Blaustein’s theoretical background. The list of authors to whom he referred in his aesthetic writings is rich and diverse; in addition to Husserl, Ingarden, and Twardowski, he also mentioned, among others, Karl Bühler, Max Dessoir, Moritz Geiger, Karol Irzykowski, Konrad Lange, Zofia Lissa, Alexius Meinong, Stanisław Ossowski, Wilhelm Schapp, Emil Utitz, Johannes Volkelt, Mieczysław Wallis-Walfisz, Stefan Witasek, and Tadeusz Witwicki. More generally, Blaustein’s account of aesthetics was shaped in a critical discussion with different traditions: the Gestaltists (Bühler, Dessoir), German aesthetics (Lange, Utitz, Volkelt), the Graz School (Meinong, Witasek), phenomenology (Geiger, Husserl, Ingarden, Schapp), Polish aesthetics (Irzykowski) and, of course, the Lvov–Warsaw School (Lissa, Ossowski, Twardowski, Wallis-Walfisz, Tadeusz Witwicki). Admittedly, the contexts are varied, but two traditions seemed to be dominant: his references to the Brentanian tradition and the phenomenological heritage. The Brentanian line in his thought leads—through Twardowski and his students—to the theory of presentations as the basis of aesthetics. In turn, the phenomenological inspiration that came from Husserl and Ingarden covers the question of the ways of givenness (Gegebenheitsweisen) of the aesthetic object. Against this background, the aim of the present chapter is to discuss Blaustein’s aesthetics as a descriptive analysis of aesthetic experiences that are correlated with their object or objects. My ultimate task is to present his general model of aesthetic experience. I begin with the question of how Blaustein used descriptive psychology in his aesthetics. Next, I address the problem of understanding aesthetic objects. Before considering whether they are purely intentional or real, I analyze Blaustein’s a few exemplary descriptions of aesthetic experiences. Finally, I examine some detailed problems discussed by Blaustein, including the phenomena of perception, attitudes, the body, intersubjectivity, and judgments. In doing so, I attempt to present a model of aesthetic experience in Blaustein’s philosophy.