Aesthetics for Birds

Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art for Everyone

Eight people pose outdoors in front of a black tarp. They are dressed in a variety of bright and pastel colors, including brightly colored hair. Each outfit has a monochromatic color theme, and the outfits feature fishnet tights, sequins, and sea-inspired flourishes.

March 7, 2024
by Aesthetics for Birds
2 Comments

Are the Kids Alright? On Cottagecore, Quiet Luxury, Clean Girl and Other Internet Aesthetics

Seven Gen Z and cusp-Millennials working in philosophy give their perspective on internet and TikTok-viral aesthetics. Continue reading →

March 30, 2023
by Alex King
9 Comments

Taco Bell and the Paradox of Ironic Appreciation

If you like something ironically, do you actually like it or not? Paradoxically, the answer seems to be yes AND no. Continue reading →

A cutesy robot with large, globulous eyes stands proudly amongst its paint brushes.

November 2, 2022
by Aesthetics for Birds
21 Comments

AI Art Is Art

If readymades and photography are art, then so is art made by DALL-E, Midjourney, and the rest. Continue reading →

A woman in a wheelchair with neat but frizzy hair stares intently at the audience. The open ocean—framed at the edges by heavy drapes—is visible from her balcony. Several objects float or fall from above behind her. The drapes, her sweater, the floating shoe and pocket mirror: all of these plus the eraser of the pencil, bits of her shawl, an object one can only describe as a starfish, and (of course) the flaming steering wheel show a remarkably dynamic and wonderful use of red.

September 1, 2022
by Aesthetics for Birds
2 Comments

What to Read on Art, Aesthetics, and Disability

An annotated list of books, essays, and lectures on disability, aesthetics, and art Continue reading →

April 6, 2022
by Aesthetics for Birds
1 Comment

The Mississippi River in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

The Mississippi River may look like just another river, but experiencing it can contain so much more. Continue reading →

January 19, 2022
by Aesthetics for Birds
1 Comment

Survival Is Insufficient: Coming to Grips with Trauma Through Art and Play in Station Eleven and Yellowjackets

How two shows teach us important lessons in navigating trauma and apocalyptic events Continue reading →

January 13, 2022
by Aesthetics for Birds
3 Comments

The Political and Aesthetic Controversy over Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia

Six scholars discuss the complicated history of Hagia Sophia and its recent conversion to a mosque Continue reading →

May 6, 2016
by Aesthetics for Birds
0 comments

Bence Nanay Guest Vlog at Brains Blog

Check out Bence Nanay’s guest vlog at the Brains Blog where he discusses mental imagery, aesthetics, and ‘aesthetically relevant properties’. Continue reading →

May 13, 2015
by Aesthetics for Birds
5 Comments

Matter of Taste

In this guest essay, Philosopher Iskra Fileva explores why “guilty pleasures” are “guilty.” Continue reading →

A child laying on a floor filled with pink merchandise.

November 5, 2014
by Aesthetics for Birds
7 Comments

The Socio-Aesthetics of Pink

Philosopher Elisabeth Camp reflects on the web of gendered sociocultural implications entangling the color pink. Continue reading →