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Art is a peculiar topic for philosophy. Philosophy dissociates itself from art on the one hand, but realigns itself with it on the other hand. Thus, in discussions of the relationship between philosophy and art, everything depends on how art is understood. Are works of art objects that produce special experiences (as in Kantian and phenomenological aesthetics), or are they particular symbolic representations (as in Hegel, Cassirer, and Goodman)? Is our access to works of art purely subjective (as Hume suggests), or do they provide an objective content? Is the ontological status of something as an artwork bound to the particular way it is interpreted (Danto)? Does art’s thematization of art itself in modernity suggest a link between art and interpretation? What role does art play within the human form of life? Is it a matter of providing a corrective to rational practices (as Merleau-Ponty and Adorno argue), or rather of the reflection and transformation of such practices (Dewey)? Is art essential for the education of moral sensibility and judgment (Nussbaum, Nehamas), or does art have a primarily playful character (Gadamer and, in a different sense, Walton)? Does art have a genuinely political dimension (Benjamin, Rancière)? Do artworks supply a basis for historical and cultural identities (in Hegel’s sense)? Must art be autonomous or politically engaged – or even subversive? And, last but not least, is there a clearly defined class of objects that count as art? Or is an open-ended process at stake here, one that cannot be contained (Derrida)?
The 16th International Philosophy Colloquium in Evian invites philosophers to come together on the shores of Lake Geneva to discuss art and the relationship between philosophy and art. Rather than focusing narrowly on philosophical aesthetics per se, the colloquium seeks to entertain a range of philosophical reflections regarding the role of art with respect to philosophy of mind, epistemology, moral philosophy, social philosophy, and political philosophy, as well as philosophy of language and media.
Evian (Lake Geneva), France
July 11-17, 2010
We invite proposals (maximum length: one page) for presentations, along with a short CV (maximum length: two pages), by April 15, 2010. Please send these documents via e-mail to the following address:
evian@philosophie.fu-berlin.de
Passive comprehension of all three languages of the colloquium, namely French, German, and English, is a prerequisite for all applicants.
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