Ruth Lorand – Aesthetic Order. A Philosophy of Beauty and Art

Автор: Ruth Lorand
Название книги: Aesthetic Order. A Philosophy of Beauty and Art
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Философия
Страницы: 337
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

In spite of its centrality in human experience, beauty has in the last century been
ostracized from philosophical discussions and its bond with art severed. Aesthetic
Order not only revives interest in beauty and brings it back into the limelight of
aesthetic discussion, but also recrowns it as a vital and central concept that reigns
the understanding of art.
Ruth Lorand explains beauty in terms of a lawless order, one that captures the
complexities of beauty and its inherent paradoxes. Art is then the product of the
attempt to master this order and create beauty.
The book begins with a detailed discussion of the notions of order, disorder,
and their mutual dependence. It proceeds with an analysis of interpretation. The
notion of asesthetic order is presented as a complementary notion to the traditional,
discursive concept of order, which is quantitative in its approach. Aesthetic order,
as both quantitative and qualitative, interprets experience and expresses values,
cultural and individual preferences, and a sense of necessity. Lorand draws from
an impressive breadth of philosophical material from Plato to Spinoza, Kant, and
Wittgenstein, as well as contemporary aestheticians such as Goodman, Mothersill,
Ingarden, Danto, Margolis, and others. She also draws from recent research in
experimental aesthetics and Information Theory.
Aesthetic Order challenges contemporary theories of aesthetics, offering beauty
as a form of interpretation that integrates both quantitative and qualitative aspects
of experience. It will be of importance to anyone interested in aesthetic theory

This book was written between 1991 and 1999. I started it while on a sabbatical in
Ann Arbor and completed it in Haifa, my university town. Had it not been accepted
for publication, I would have probably continued writing and rewriting it. The
demarcation of the aesthetic domain, its differentia sepcifica as well as the account
of its dependence on non-aesthetic domains is a never-ending project. There has
not been a day during these years in which I have not found something to add or
to erase. Therefore, I owe my first and immediate gratitude to the publisher,
Routledge, and especially to the editor, Tony Bruce, who relieved me of my
obsession with aesthetic order and set me free to explore other territories.
It was my teacher at the University of Haifa, Professor Michael (Micha) Strauss,
who first inspired me in this direction. Micha brought to my attention the
peculiarity of aesthetic order: an unpredictable, lawless order. We had many
stimulating discussions on this and related matters during the years of my study
and later as colleagues. Most of what is good in my ideas I earned from these
discussions. Micha has been my true teacher whose wisdom, vast knowledge and
unique talent for evoking ideas in his students have guided me all these years.
I first tested the idea of aesthetic order via the comparison with ethics. This was
the topic of my dissertation. My supervisors, Professor Ben-Ami Scharfstein from
Tel-Aviv University and Professor Eddy Zemach from the Hebrew University in
Jerusalem, tolerated my thought experiments and supported me with enlightening
comments, observations and good advice. It is a pleasure for me to thank them
again for their contribution to the development of my theory of aesthetic order. It
took me a few years of hard argumentation after the completion of my dissertation
and one walk along the blue Danube during a conference in Budapest to persuade
Professor Zemach that the notion of aesthetic order has genuine potential. I thank
him for forcing me to exhaust my imagination and sharpen my arguments in the
attempt to convince him. The enchanting Danube contributed, no doubt, to my
effort, and although this river is associated in my mind with bitter and bloody
memories, I feel that I owe it a good word.
Professor Kendall Walton and Professor Paul Crowther patiently read the whole
manuscript. Their comments and observations were of great help and saved me
some embarrassments. Professor Gideon Freudenthal read the first two chapters
and forced me to rethink the issue of symmetry as a form of disorder. Although I could not convince him, he made me realize that the issue is not as simple as I
believed it to be. I am grateful to my colleagues Professor Oded Balaban and
Asnat Balaban, both dear friends, for the long discussions we had into the late
hours.
My friends in Ann Arbor helped me take my first steps on this long journey.
Zane Olukalns edited the preliminary draft and suggested some helpful examples.
Tom Beukema, Lori Parshall, Dave Aderente, Kris Kourtjian and Chris Ellinger
had to listen to my meditations over and over again and gave me their friendly
support throughout my stay in Ann Arbor. Mick Stern and Glendir Sacks edited
different versions of the manuscript and contributed comments and good
illustrations of several points.
Giora, my friend, colleague and most devoted reader, wasted endless hours in
his attempt to clarify my thoughts and improve my style. He encouraged me
throughout these years in moments of despair and shared with me the beauty of
philosophical adventures.
Dorit Barchana-Lorand advised me on a number points and suggested
instructive examples to strengthen some of my arguments. Her love and support
have compensated me for failing to protect her from the trepidation of philosophy.
To Dorit and Gaddy I owe my sense of reality: the appreciation of what is most
important in life.
Last but definitely not least I want to express my gratitude to my beloved
granddaughter, Ella, for honoring my work by using the drafts of the book for her
drawings—wonderful exemplars of lawless orders.