was Aesthetics on the Philosophy of Art and Beauty. Everything/every idea/every assumption/every opinion was torn apart or criticized ad nauseam. But that said, my understanding of Arts, in particular, did move forward and increase.
From the ground up. it was clear that Art evokes emotions and responses of all kinds even though it’s obviously impossible to agree on a universal definition.
I now believe that Art is an artifact or experience, imaginatively and consciously created, with intention and purpose, to communicate with and affect viewers–higher art being that which increases consciousness and awareness of audiences, even inspiring them to make major changes in their lives, beliefs, and values.
In short, Art affects ethics, morality, social consciousness, and individual or mass human behaviors and actions. The aesthetics of a piece or experience clearly has potentially mental enlightening, soul/spirit-developing benefits and values.
Does Art help us to cope with Life and limitations? Yes. Does it improve the way we interact with world/social reality? Yes. (Aristotle was the first philosopher btw who sided with Arts for their power of catharsis alone.)
However, if it’s ‘morally-stained’, degrading, corrupt, exploitive, or inspires violence, it is defective, limited, not good art. There are, generally speaking, criteria for what makes good and even great Art, that are far more significant, purposeful, freeing, and meaningful.
Of Beauty, it is mostly argued that it is in the eye of the beholder, to begin with, via individual awareness. However, there are many beautiful works or experiences that masses can agree on are beautiful. So there is a larger, more objective (if we go by numbers) view of Beauty, also supported by the passage of Time, and beautiful things remaining beautiful over long periods of Time (e.g. Mona Lisa, the pyramids, Beethoven’s Fifth).
Truth often enters the picture (Keats believed they were alike and supported one another): as in the rational criteria-based observations of large critical bodies of opinions and arguments, or in the proofs of Time and universality (across different cultures).
And so it is true that many things are beautiful, including those things not made by humans–by Nature, for instance.
But do I recommend a course in Aesthetics? No. Just some introductory readings will suffice about the basic issues that get typically argued.
There is unquestionable value/s in Art and Beauty that make them essential things to ponder and pursue. It is good to experience Beauty and Art in one’s life. They do elevate one and speak to the inner life. They offer ideals in total contrast to the human world of lies, disinformation, pig-piling, mobs looking for crazy leaders, trucker convoys, the degradation of women and non-caucasian races, abject poverty, wars, ignorance, and an ongoing slough of human ignorance and corrupt agendas.