Philosophical Aesthetics and the Ethical Criticism of Art

This chapter critically reviews an approach to the ethical criticism of art that has dominated attention in philosophical aesthetics. The author calls it the “interpretation-oriented approach” and “perspectivism.” On this approach, art is ethically evaluated in terms of its meanings—in particular, in terms of the attitudes or perspectives the work embodies, endorses, expresses, or prescribes. The author raises two central objections to perspectivism: it does not carry much force in the real world (i.e., it tends not to result in criminal or civil liability, fines, censorship, and so forth), and it depends upon the contentious task of interpreting the work.