PROBLEMS WITH AESTHETICS (Trudnosci z estetyka)

In the paper 'Dlaczego estetyka jest dla mnie za trudna?' (Why is aesthetics too difficult for me), published recently in Kwartalnik Filozoficzny, Professor Jerzy Pelc points to a great conceptual confusion in aesthetics. The authoress' aim is to point out the reasons for this confusion. The so-called problem with aesthetics is the fact that the domain of aesthetics is very complicated and the situation in which one makes aesthetic evaluations is very complex. She shows this complexity by comparing the domain of aesthetics with that of ethics. The following facts make the aesthetic situation problematic and are the reasons for discrepancy in aesthetic evaluations: (i) the typical objects of aesthetic evaluations are artifacts, and the essence of artifacts is constituted, among other things, by the intention and contribution of their author; (ii) the objects of aesthetic evaluations are very varied with respect to their ontic status; (iii) not every component of aesthetic evaluations can be 'naturalized'; (iv) there is a great variety of positive and negative aesthetic values; (v) there is a great variety of aesthetic experiences. However, the authoress is convinced that a detailed analysis of the foundations of aesthetics may lead do a clarification of its conceptual scheme.