Ideas of Stephen Davies, by Theme

[New Zealand, fl. 2016, Professor at the University of Auckland.]

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1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 3. Analysis of Preconditions
20388 'Necessary' conditions are requirements, and 'sufficient' conditions are guarantees
2. Reason / D. Definition / 1. Definitions
20389 A definition of a thing gives all the requirements which add up to a guarantee of it
2. Reason / D. Definition / 13. Against Definition
20391 Feminists warn that ideologies use timeless objective definitions as a tool of repression
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 2. Aesthetic Attitude
20387 Aesthetic experience involves perception, but also imagination and understanding
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 3. Taste
20385 The faculty of 'taste' was posited to explain why only some people had aesthetic appreciation
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 6. The Sublime
20386 The sublime is negative in awareness of insignificance, and positive in showing understanding
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 1. Defining Art
20384 The idea that art forms are linked into a single concept began in the 1740s
20390 Defining art as representation or expression or form were all undermined by the avant-garde
20392 'Aesthetic functionalism' says art is what is intended to create aesthetic experiences
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 4. Art as Expression
20405 Music may be expressive by being 'associated' with other emotional words or events
20403 It seems unlikely that sad music expresses a composer's sadness; it takes ages to write
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 6. Art as Institution
20393 The 'institutional' theory says art is just something appropriately placed in the 'artworld'
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 8. The Arts / a. Music
20402 Music is too definite to be put into words (not too indefinite!)
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 1. Artistic Intentions
20395 The title of a painting can be vital, and the artist decrees who the portrait represents
20396 We must know what the work is meant to be, to evaluate the artist's achievement
20399 Intentionalism says either meaning just is intention, or ('moderate') meaning is successful intention
20401 The meaning is given by the audience's best guess at the author's intentions
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 2. Copies of Art
20397 If we could perfectly clone the Mona Lisa, the original would still be special
20398 Art that is multiply instanced may require at least one instance
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 4. Emotion in Art
20404 Music isn't just sad because it makes the listener feel sad
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 7. Art and Morality
22704 Immorality may or may not be an artistic defect
22705 If the depiction of evil is glorified, that is an artistic flaw
22707 It is an artistic defect if excessive moral outrage distorts the story, and narrows our sympathies
22706 A work which seeks approval for immorality, but alienates the audience, is a failure