History of Aesthetics

The "History of Aesthetics" course aims to introduce students to the main concepts and authors of Western aesthetics, from antiquity to the present day, through a direct reading of classical texts belonging to this philosophical branch. After an introductory part examining the rise and evolution of the discipline, the course focuses, from year to year, on a specific topic of paradigmatic value for aesthetic reflection. The overall objective is to provide students with a historical overview of the main issues at stake in the theories of perception and image (not only artistic) while ensuring the acquisition of the theoretical and methodological tools necessary to critically engage with current phislosphical debates.

- Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students should have learned the historical-conceptual paths that led to the birth and evolution of Western aesthetics as a specific philosophical discipline. They are expected to have become familiar with the aesthetic lexicon and the main aesthetic categories. They should have understood the role of aesthetics in the general context of human experience, with particular emphasis on the most recent debates.

- Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
The course will enhance the analytical and synthetic ability to understand and critically read some of the fundamental texts in aesthetics. Students will use the acquired competencies to interpret aesthetic phenomena in a society characterized by the increasingly pervasive use of images. Through common discussion of the issues covered, they will develop their expressive and argumentative skills. They will also be able to relate aesthetic theories to other fields of knowledge such as media theory, cultural studies, the history of ideas, and the ethics and politics of images.