This course will explore a wide range of topics in the philosophy of art. We will investigate what the nature of art is and what significance it has in relation to our lives. Drawing on classical, modern, and contemporary philosophical approaches to art, we will ask questions such as 'Is there a specific property or a distinctive kind of meaning that all works of art have in common?', 'Is art universal, i.e. is it the same across different cultural contexts?', 'What determines an artwork's meaning-and can its meaning be expressed in "objective" terms?','What (or who) determines an artwork's value?', 'Does art necessarily have to be beautiful?', 'Why do we care whether an artwork is authentic?', 'What is a picture-what constitutes it and how does it work on us?','How can we interpret art-and based on what standards can we make judgments about art works?', 'Can art transform us-and if so, does it make us more or less moral?', 'What is the relation of art to truth and to knowledge?', or 'What is the relation of art to other domains such as culture, politics, and technology?'. In seeking to answer these questions with the help of thinkers like Plato, Kant, and Hegel, Dewey, Merleau-Ponty, and Adorno, Sontag, Danto, and Cavell, we will continuously apply the theories discussed in class to specific works of art in order to test our views against actual art works and practices.

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