Wittgenstein, Ethics and Aesthetics: The View from Eternity (Swansea Studies in Philosophy)

The author's purpose in this volume is to present the relevance of the ideas of Wittgenstein to those interested in aesthetics and the philosophy of art. He focuses on both the earlier work centred around the "Tractatus" and the later work of the "Philosophical Investigations". As early as 1916, Wittgenstein states that ethics and aesthetics are one, that only through aesthetics and art can what is truly important in human life be shown. This is the first book to clarify Wittgenstein's ideas about ethics and aesthetics, and to illustrate how those ideas apply to art history and criticism. Tilghman shows how a study of Wittgenstein illuminates not only the relationship between ethics and aesthetics, but also the relationship between art and our lives. The result is that we can better understand the human importance of abstract as well as traditional art. -- Back cover Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Modernism, Modern Aesthetics and Wittgenstein....Pages 1-20 Art and Ethics: An Historical Sketch....Pages 21-42 Ethics and Aesthetics in the Tractatus....Pages 43-65 The Tractatus Re-examined....Pages 66-90 Discerning Humanity....Pages 91-116 Discerning Art....Pages 117-142 Discerning the Humanity in Art....Pages 143-172 Afterword....Pages 173-178 Back Matter....Pages 179-193 B.r. Tilghman. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.