New Books in Philosophy

Jon Robson, "Aesthetic Testimony: An Optimistic Approach" (Oxford UP, 2022)

Mar 10, 2024

Philosopher Jon Robson challenges the pessimistic view of aesthetic testimony, arguing that aesthetic knowledge can be transmitted through testimony. He discusses contextualist optimism and the importance of context in forming aesthetic judgments. The podcast explores the debate between pessimists and optimists on aesthetic testimony, the existence of objective truth in aesthetics, and the interplay between aesthetic testimony and social epistemology.

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Quick takeaways

Aesthetic testimony can be as credible as other forms of testimony, contextualizing the transmission of aesthetic knowledge.

Social epistemology plays a crucial role in shaping aesthetic practices, emphasizing shared judgments and communal interactions.

Deep dives

Explanation of Aesthetic Testimony and Social Epistemology Integration

The integration of aesthetic testimony and social epistemology is an intriguing direction to further explore. This integration aims to delve into the social aspects of our engagement with artworks, emphasizing shared aesthetic judgments, group bonding, and discussions. Understanding the role of social factors in aesthetics can shed light on how our aesthetic practices are influenced by cooperative and communal interactions.

Introduction

3min

Exploring Aesthetic Testimony and Pessimism in Philosophy

19min

Exploring the Existence of a Fact of the Matter in Aesthetic Judgments

4min

Debating Aesthetic Testimony and Contextual Optimism

26min

Exploring the Interplay Between Aesthetic Testimony and Social Epistemology

5min

Exploring Current and Future Projects in Aesthetics and God-Beauty Relations

2min

A lot of what we claim to know we learn from other people's testimony: they tell us, and in many ordinary contexts that is enough to gain knowledge. But for many philosophers, aesthetics is different. Such pessimists about aesthetic testimony hold that facts about aesthetic properties – such as Shakespeare's Hamlet being a tragedy, or Picasso's Guernica being anti-war – can't be transmitted by testimony, and can only be learned through first-person experience.

In Aesthetic Testimony: An Optimistic Approach (Oxford UP, 2022), Jon Robson argues that aesthetic testimony should be treated on a par with testimony in other domains; our deference to others in aesthetic matters is about the same as it is in other areas of knowledge. Robson, who is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Nottingham, defends a view called contextualist optimism, in which, just as with testimony in other domains, whether we obtain aesthetic knowledge depends on the context in which aesthetic judgments are transmitted.

Carrie Figdor is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa.

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