At the end of the debate about canons: Categories, evaluation and the nature of aesthetic value

Abstract

The public opinion in philosophy is guided by a multitude of factors and sometimes an idea gets general recognition but is systematically studied only after a few decades have passed. There aren?t many papers in contemporary aesthetics that can match the originality and influence of Kendall Walton?s ?Categories of Art?. It is unsurprising, then, that contemporary aestheticians often expand upon its main theses. Nevertheless, even after almost half a century from its first publication, an exhaustive and comprehensive interpretation of Walton?s paper is still lacking. Moreover, even Walton himself doesn?t provide a detailed elucidation of his ideas, many of which are merely outlined in his seminal paper. Furthermore, he doesn?t apply his view to evaluative aesthetic judgments, even though such an attempt could today, when the debate about aesthetic canons is on the wane, might help us understand the nature of aesthetic evaluation. The goal of this paper is to once again shed some light on the significance of Walton?s approach and on its reception in contemporary aesthetics.