Worker and Parasite Beauty: A Very Short Introduction by Roger Scruton
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Mar 21, 2023 Roger Scruton, philosopher and author of Beauty: A Very Short Introduction, discusses taste judgments, his reputation, and the disappointment with his book. The chapter also explores the concept of beauty from an evolutionary perspective and critiques Scruton's work. The podcast ends with a discussion on the differences between Western and non-Western concepts of history.
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Target Audience Mismatch
- Scruton's "Beauty" seems like an introduction to aesthetics for Oxbridge graduates.
- The speakers found it too highbrow for a general audience, failing its introductory purpose.
Obscure Art References
- Scruton makes constant allusions to obscure artworks, assuming reader familiarity.
- This approach alienated the speakers, who lacked the necessary cultural background.
Beauty in Reason
- Scruton grounds beauty in reason, diverging from romantic viewpoints.
- He doesn't explicitly state his theory, but implies it through scattered observations.