How can the country singer’s rhinestone suit be truly authentic if it’s not what cowboys or farmers would actually wear? Continue reading

March 2, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
4 Comments
March 2, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
4 Comments
How can the country singer’s rhinestone suit be truly authentic if it’s not what cowboys or farmers would actually wear? Continue reading
January 19, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
1 Comment
Our most-viewed pieces span nature and perception, artificial intelligence, and movies and architecture. Scroll through to make sure you haven’t missed something big! Continue reading
December 2, 2022
by Aesthetics for Birds
5 Comments
Lizzo playing James Madison’s crystal flute is a success story for preservationists. Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s dress is not. Continue reading
January 13, 2022
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Six scholars discuss the complicated history of Hagia Sophia and its recent conversion to a mosque Continue reading
September 23, 2021
by Aesthetics for Birds
3 Comments
A city is not just the sum of its buildings. Urban aesthetics is not just about architecture. What makes a city beautiful is how we feel moving through it. Continue reading
September 9, 2021
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Philosopher Susan Wolf talks about her aesthetic experience of the Alhambra. Continue reading
April 16, 2020
by Alex King
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What follows is a guest post by Jay Miller. Recently, a draft proposal of a presidential executive order was obtained and printed by the Chicago Sun-Times. Under the banner of “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again,” the leaked document effectively mandates the classical style of architecture for all federal buildings in the U.S. It seeks to right the wrongs of modernist architecture by officially proclaiming the classical style of architecture “the preferred and default style” for federal buildings. The proposal proceeds by first identifying the culprits: It blames the federal government for “largely abandon[ing] traditional, classical designs” in the 1950s; it accuses the General Services Administration (GSA) of overseeing “aesthetic failures”; even more specifically, it takes aim at the “Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture,” drafted in 1962 by an aide of the Kennedy administration, for having “implicitly discouraged” classical and other designs “known for their beauty.” Yet, the real target of … Continue reading
November 29, 2019
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Alex King interviews philosophers Jeanette Bicknell, Jennifer Judkins, and Carolyn Korsmeyer. Jeanette Bicknell, Jennifer Judkins, and Carolyn Korsmeyer recently co-edited a collection of new essays, Philosophical Perspectives on Ruins, Monuments, and Memorials. From the book description: This collection of newly published essays examines our relationship to physical objects that invoke, commemorate, and honor the past. The recent destruction of cultural heritage in war and controversies over Civil War monuments in the US have foregrounded the importance of artifacts that embody history. … The authors consider issues of preservation and reconstruction, the nature of ruins, the aesthetic and ethical values of memorials, and the relationship of cultural memory to material artifacts that remain from the past. See the full list of contributing authors here. Below, Alex King interviews them about themes from the volume.
June 26, 2019
by Aesthetics for Birds
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What follows is a guest post from Laura Di Summa, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at William Paterson University. Black Mirror, the TV series created by enfant terrible Charlie Brooker, is often described as the quintessential embodiment of grim poststructuralist criticisms of the ideology. But this, I believe, is just one way of looking at it. One, if I may, that has little to do with how it actually looks.
May 6, 2019
by Aesthetics for Birds
0 comments
In preparation for the Met Gala, five scholars look at the history of camp and fashion. Continue reading