Aesthetics for Birds

Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art for Everyone

February 20, 2024
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Nic Bommarito on Krazy Kat

Philosopher Nic Bommarito looks at George Herriman’s early 20th century comic Krazy Kat Continue reading →

November 17, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
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The Real Problem with AI Art

The artworld is not a place of equality. But if we input bias, we can only get biased outputs. Continue reading →

October 19, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
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What’s Wrong with Setlist.fm?

The concert equivalent of a spoiler: Checking a band’s concert setlist beforehand. Continue reading →

Painting of a nude, male presenting subject standing with their torso bathed in a rectangle of sunlight. The shadow of their right hand seems to be pinching their right nipple, referencing the painting Gabrielle d'Estrées et une de ses soeurs.

October 13, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Ray Briggs on Self-Love and Sin

Philosopher Ray Briggs discusses Aaron Feltman’s introspective painting “Self-Love and Sin, Gabrielle and Her Twin” Continue reading →

Action shot of a school-aged boy dribbling a basket ball.

October 5, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
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On Being Inspired by Movies: The Wonderful Silliness of My Childhood Hoop Dreams

Most of us will never be superstars, but movies inspire us to pursue stardom. Is there anything wrong with that? Continue reading →

Illustration of a man, a girl, the sky and some birds in monochromatic pink being engulfed by water full of fish in monochromatic sea blue

September 22, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Sean T. Murphy on JD Salinger

A philosopher tackles difficult themes in the JD Salinger short story “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” Continue reading →

A mosaic of Socrates and six other men in himations lounging outside. Socrates is using a stick to point to the ground, and the men seem to be thinking and talking.

September 7, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
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How to Illustrate Philosophy

If it seems impossible to turn abstract philosophical concepts and ideas into concrete images, think again. Continue reading →

March 30, 2023
by Alex King
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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 black bedazzled jacket. Vertical and lines going up and down the entire back form bars on a jail cell beyond which a lonely cowboy plays a guitar.

March 2, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Nose to the Rhinestone: The Authenticity of Country Music’s Sparkling Suits

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

A total of thirty-six sepia-tone stills, organized in three rows show a woman walking in a sheer, white dress. While each row shows her from a different angle, the photos within a row look almost entirely identical but for the placement of her feet. In all photos she holds the tail of her dress in her left hand, and raises her other to her head, perhaps shielding her eyes from the sun, her elbow pointing out far to the right.

February 3, 2023
by Aesthetics for Birds
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How Should Literature Mean? A Conversation About Art and Ambiguity

Scholars John Gibson, Magdalena Ostas, and Hannah Kim discuss how art creates meaning, and how we play a role in that meaning-making. Continue reading →