Bibliography of 18 th century theories of taste

1. Bibliography of 18th century theories of taste

2. The Century of Taste - Bibliography • Longinus Peri Hypsus. Traité du Sublime et du Merveilleux dans le Discours traduit du Grec du Longin, 1674. • John Locke. An essay concerning human understanding, 1706. • Anthony, Earl of Shaftesbury. Characteristics of men, manners, opinions, times, 1711. • Francis Hutcheson. An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue, 1725. The Century of Taste

3. The Century of Taste - Bibliography • David Hume. A treatise on Human Nature, 1739. • William Hogarth. The Analysis of Beauty, 1753. • David Hume. Of the Standard of Taste, 1757. • Edmund Burke. A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, 2nd edition, 1759. The Century of Taste

4. The Century of Taste - Bibliography • Alexander Gerard. Essay on Taste, 1759. • Archibald Alison. Essays on the Nature and Principles of Taste, 1790. • Uvedale Price, Essays on the Picturesque, 1794. • Sir Richard Payne Knight, The Landscape. A Didactic Poem, 1794. The Century of Taste

5. The Century of Taste

6. Francis HutchesonDavid HumeEdmund Burke

7. Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746) An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue (1725) The Century of Taste

8. An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Virtue and Beauty • simple ideas vs. complex ideas • The only Pleasure of Sense, which our Philosophers seem to consider, is that which accompanys the simple Ideas of Sensation: But there are vastly greater Pleasures in those complex Ideas of Objects, which obtain the Names of Beautiful, Regular, Harmonious. Thus every one acknowledges he is more delighted with a fine Face, a just Picture, than with the View of any one Colour, were it as strong and lively as possible; [...]. So in Music, the Pleasure of fine Composition is incomparably greater than that of any Note, how sweet, full or swelling soever. (7) The Century of Taste

9. An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Virtue and Beauty internal sense (of beauty) • beauty does not lie in the object itself but in a perceiving mind • gives pleasure • pleasure is felt immediately • independent of will • independent of knowledge • independent of advantage or usefulness The Century of Taste

10. An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Virtue and Beauty • the beauty of theorems • people might be able to see but receive relatively little pleasure out of beautiful sights • men of genius own a finer taste, have a better developed internal sense The Century of Taste

11. An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Virtue and Beauty Let every one here consider, how different we must suppose the Perception to be, with which a Poet is transported upon the Prospect of any of those Objects of natural Beauty, which ravish us even in his Description; from that cold lifeless Conception which we imagine in a dull Critick, or one of the Virtuosi, without what we call a fine Taste. This latter Class of Men may have greater Perfection in that Knowledge, which is deriv´d from external Sensation; they can tell all the specifick Differences of Trees, Herbs, Minerals, Metals; they know the Form of every Leaf, Stalk, Root, Flower, and Seed of all the Species, about which the Poet is often very ignorant: And yet the Poet shall have a vastly more delightful Perception of the Whole; and not only the Poet but any man of fine Taste. (9-10) The Century of Taste

12. An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Virtue and Beauty • neg. associations can keep people from seeing the beauty of certain objects • common taste, universal agreement • internal sense universal The Century of Taste

13. An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Virtue and Beauty • uniformity amidst variety • deformity is “the absence of beauty, or deficiency in the beauty expected in any species” The Century of Taste

14. An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Virtue and Beauty “If we descend to the minuter Works of Nature, what vast Uniformity among all the Species of Plants and Vegetables in the manner of their Growth and Propagation! [...] In the almost infinite Multitude of Leaves, Fruit, Seed, Flowers of any one Species, we often see an exact Uniformity in the Structure and Situation of the smallest Fibres. This is the Beauty which charms an ingenious Botanist. Nay, what vast Uniformity and Regularity of Figure is found in each particular Plant, Leaf, or Flower! In all Trees and most of the smaller Plants, the Stalks or Trunks are either Cylinders nearly, or regular Prisms; the Branches similar to their several Trunks, arising at nearly regular Distances, when no Accidents retard their natural Growth [...].” (22-23) The Century of Taste

15. David Hume (1711-1776) Of the Standard of Taste (1757) The Century of Taste

16. Of the Standard of Taste “The great variety of Taste, as well as of opinion, which prevails in the world, is too obvious not to have fallen under every one's observation.” The Century of Taste

17. Of the Standard of Taste “The great variety of Taste, as well as of opinion, which prevails in the world, is too obvious not to have fallen under every one's observation.” The Century of Taste

18. Of the Standard of Taste “It is natural for us to seek a Standard of Taste; a rule, by which the various sentiments of men may be reconciled; at least, a decision afforded, confirming one sentiment, and condemning another.” The Century of Taste

19. Of the Standard of Taste “It is natural for us to seek a Standard of Taste; a rule, by which the various sentiments of men may be reconciled; at least, a decision afforded, confirming one sentiment, and condemning another.” The Century of Taste

20. Of the Standard of Taste • sentiment = emotions • sentiment about an object is in everyone of us The Century of Taste

21. good critics beauties & blemishes Concept of Hume‘s theory agree on standard of taste The Century of Taste

22. Good critics I “Strong sense, united to delicate sentiment, improved by practice, perfected by comparison, and cleared of all prejudice, can alone entitle critics to this valuable character; [...]“ The Century of Taste

23. Good critics II • practice • comparison • no prejudice strong sense/ judgement delicate sentiment valuable character of a good critic The Century of Taste

24. Good critics III How will I recognize a good critic? “Though men of delicate taste be rare, they are easily to be distinguished in society by the soundness of their understanding, and the superiority of their faculties above the rest of mankind.” The Century of Taste

25. Of the Standard of Taste good critics agree on beauties & blemishes The Century of Taste

26. Beauties & blemishes I • belong entirely to the sentiment  they are feelings • but: sentiment linked to “certain qualities in objects“  objective judgement  universal agreement The Century of Taste

27. Beauties & blemishes II • good critics agree on some of them • examples of possible beauties: • force of expression • harmony • luster of colours • exactness of imitation ... The Century of Taste

28. Of the Standard of Taste beauties & blemishes standard of taste The Century of Taste

29. Of the Standard of Taste • standard of taste = agreed beauties  not specified by Hume • objects can consist of various beauties and also of blemishes • for an object to be beautiful the beauties have to predominate The Century of Taste

30. good critics beauties & blemishes Of the Standard of Taste agree on standard of taste The Century of Taste

31. Brief summary What are the different values of common sentiment in the philosophical works of Hutcheson and Hume and what are their implications ? The Century of Taste

32. How is beauty perceived according to Hutcheson? According to Hutcheson common sentiment is... • the proof of the universal sense of beauty. • triggered by a single principle of beauty • caused by uniformity amidst variety, which is sufficient to explain the beauty of an aesthetic object. (causal) • tantamount to positive judgement! Hume‘s relativism contradicts each of the assumptions above! The Century of Taste

33. How is beauty perceived according to Hume? According to Hume common sentiment is... • subjective („it is fruitless to dispute concerning taste“) • no proof of a universal sense of beauty. • often general but not necessarily universal • guided by a plurality of value characteristics. (contributive) • not tantamount to positive judgement! The Century of Taste

34. How is beauty perceived according to Hume? „The difference, it is said, is very wide between judgement and sentiment!“ The Century of Taste

35. How to find common agreement? David Hume‘s prerequisites of judgement: • objectivity • the joint verdict of good critics • experience and practice • comparison • reason (reflected explanations) • agreement based on established standards The Century of Taste

36. Relative ranking of instances of judgement The following diagram illustrates three differences: 1. The relative ranking of instances of judgement according to Hume. 2. The low rank of common sentiment for Hume as opposed to Hutcheson‘s absolute basis of common sentiment. 3. The difference between sentiment and judgement according to Hume. The Century of Taste

37. Relative ranking of David Hume‘s instances of judgement: Degree of normative force The Century of Taste

38. I Verdict of posterity II Joint verdict of true critics III Standard of Taste IV Common sentiment of human nature Relative ranking of David Hume‘s instances of judgement: The Century of Taste

39. I Verdict of posterity II Joint verdict of true critics III Standard of Taste IV • subjective and unjustified sentiments. • general principles of approbation and blame. Relative ranking of David Hume‘s instances of judgement: The Century of Taste

40. I Verdict of posterity II Joint verdict of true critics III Standard of Taste IV Common sentiment of human nature Relative ranking of David Hume‘s instances of judgement: The Century of Taste

41. I Verdict of posterity II Joint verdict of true critics III • Established principles and models. • Universal beauties and blemishes IV Common sentiment of human nature Relative ranking of David Hume‘s instances of judgement: „it is impossible men could ever agree in their sentiments and judgements, unless they chose some common point of view, from which they might survey their object, and which might cause it to appear the same to all of them.“ The Century of Taste

42. I Verdict of posterity II Joint verdict of true critics III Standard of Taste IV Common sentiment of human nature Relative ranking of David Hume‘s instances of judgement: The Century of Taste

43. I Verdict of posterity II • normative judgements based on experience and reasoning. III Standard of Taste IV Common sentiment of human nature Relative ranking of David Hume‘s instances of judgement: The Century of Taste

44. I Verdict of posterity II Joint verdict of true critics III Standard of Taste IV Common sentiment of human nature Relative ranking of David Hume‘s instances of judgement: The Century of Taste

45. I Durable admiration of works that have survived the test of time: “all the caprices of mode and fashion.“ II Joint verdict of true critics III Standard of Taste IV Common sentiment of human nature Relative ranking of David Hume‘s instances of judgement: The Century of Taste

46. Relative ranking of David Hume‘s instances of judgement: The Century of Taste

47. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) A philosophical enquiry into the origin of our ideas of the sublime and beautiful (1757) The Century of Taste

48. A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful • Burke in contrast to Francis Hutcheson and David Hume: • beauty does not exist in our mind, but in the objects themselves The Century of Taste

49. A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful Burke's text A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful: general survey of passions, properties of things which make objects either beautiful or sublime and their effect on human beings The Century of Taste

50. A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful Burke’s main assumption for his inquiry: “And my point in this enquiry is to find whether there are any principles, on which the imagination is affected, so common to all, so grounded and certain, as to supply the means of reasoning satisfactorily about them. And such principles of Taste, I fancy there are.” The Century of Taste