The Aesthetic as the Science of Expression and of the Linguistic in General

by Benedetto Croce, Colin Lyas (Translator)

The Italian philosopher Benedetto Croce (1866-1952) spent most of his life as a private scholar in Naples. His Estetica, which first appeared in 1902, has remained a seminal work not only for aesthetics but also for general linguistics. As the full title indicates, this is not a narrow work dealing with the theory of art and criticism. For Croce intended this to be the first part of his "philosophy of the spirit" and he thus presents a systematic general theory intended to solve all philosophical problems. The work presents an account of the structure of the human mind and shows how art arises naturally from that structure, as well as introducing the influential notion of the organic unity of a work of art. As a result, art is shown to be integral to any life and an essential aspect of what it is to be human. This new translation of the first and most important part of the work (Theory) supersedes the defective translation by D. Ainslie, first published in 1909. It is based on the most recent Italian edition (1990). In his foreword the translator addresses the difficulties in translating certain key words in the Italian original, "scienza", "fantasia", and of course, "estetica" itself. He also furnishes the reader with helpful explanatory annotation. This publication will be of cardinal importance for all those interested in the philosophy of art, the history of criticism, and the history of linguistics.

Genres: Philosophy, Art, Nonfiction, History, Italy, Linguistics, Theory

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1902

About the author

From 1902, Benedetto Croce, noted Italian historian and critic, wrote the four-volume Philosophy of the Spirit as a major work of modern idealism to 1917, and staunchly opposed Fascism.

This politician wrote on numerous topics, including aesthetics. A very strict Catholic family reared Benedetto Croce. After an earthquake in 1883 killed his parents and only sister and buried him for a very long time, he barely survived. From Catholicism around the age of 18 years in 1884, he turned away as an atheist for the rest of his life. After the incident, he inherited fortune of his family and ably lived the rest in relative leisure, which enabled him to devote a great deal of time.

Benedetto Croce served as the minister of education. He openly resisted participation in World War I. He openly hated the party till his death in 1952.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedett...

Reviews

[Calmbob · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this book isn't about aesthetics as "the beautiful", but about understanding how to function with some kind of real sense in a world that is all-to-much in the grips of Cartesian rationality. Even if philosophy long ago (like 300 years) moved beyond the mechanical world view of Descartes, the professional/engineering world in which I work is still bound to a narrow view that discounts impulses that cannot be addressed within a reductionist framework. This book gives help, or at least the feeling of company, in bringing concerns forward that are usually absent in professional/engineering circles. It's also a good preread to Gramsci and to Merleau-Ponty.

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denna var intensiv, och lärd, och lärorik. Jag har aldrig, innan förra året, känt mig böjd att försöka förstå det estetiska, utan har velat uppleva det, men givet frågor jag träffade på, som indikerade irrationaliteten i samhälleliga beslut, kändes det som en plikt. I strävan efter att kunna svara an på det, har denna bok varit en strålande trappstege. Jag vet nu en massa om vad jag inte förstår, medan jag förut inte ens kunde artikulera det.

Med detta sagt, kan jag inte säga att jag blev svept av fötterna; jag ser mig inte som fyrkantig, men jag upplever nog att det vackra i natur och konst är vackert och viktigt oavsett anledning. I argument mot mig själv: denna bok ger utmärkta anledningar till varför det vackra och imponerande är viktigt. Den ger en arsenal mot filistéerna, och som debatthandledning är den därmed användbar. Motargument mot mig själv: är det inte bättre att hjälpa folk att ställa rätt frågor istället för att slå dem i huvudet med imponerande namn och begrepp? Motargument mot motargumentet: Nej. Själva premissen i estetiken är att de flesta inte har ork att se ordentligt, och behöver hjälp att göra det.

Där kommer vi till kärnan. I någon mån kan jag inte medge behovet av en estetisk teori utan att samtidigt ge upp min idé om att människor är förmögna att välja sina intellektuella öden; att vem som helst kan få impulsen att se det goda, det sköna och det rätta. Om inte det är fallet, finns det ingen orsak till demokrati, och inte heller till egalitet, ens i den urvattnade form som jag stöder (i motsats till backanaleregaliteten som jag anklagar andra för). Estetiken som vetenskap implicerar att det inte är en fråga om träning, utan om kunskap; inte en instinkt, utan en färdighet. Där har vi problemet.

OK, nu kan jag nog faktiskt släppa frågan. Vilket inte hindrar att jag har åtminstone fem nya böcker på min läslista som jag inte ens visste fanns innan jag läste Croce.

[John Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm happy I have a degree in philosophy or I would not have finished the book due to its technical verbiage. However, it was extremely useful as a tool in my doctoral research that included a section on aesthetics. Croce's idealism pervades the book which keeps him from grounding aesthetics in the reality he thought he had discovered. The result is a view of aesthetics and linguistics (Croce ties the two together well) that floats in abstraction. His work remains a classic read on the contemporary distinction in aesthetics between the expressive and the representative functions of art.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non vi è molto da dire sul tentativo di Croce di riassegnare dignità all'intuizione, modalità di conoscenza del fatto estetico - che è forma, e nient'altro che forma - tramite una spietata critica delle teoriche precedenti sull'Estetica, che avevano finito per oscurarne la valenza gnoseologica: rivoluzionaria nell'epoca in cui fu scritta, e subito direttamente inattuale per comprendere il '900 letterario, artistico, e più in generale culturale.

L'unica ragione, dunque, per leggere quantomeno la parte di "Teoria" della sua "Estetica", è per liberarsi dai pregiudizi, negare la stessa opera, e ripartire tramite siffatta purificazione intellettuale con un nuovo percorso, quello che Croce, pur avendo avuto possibilità e strumenti, scelse di non compiere poiché schiavo della circolarità in cui aveva ascritto il proprio sistema filosofico, nonché della sua formazione classicista verso cui si rivolgeva nel pensare all'arte.

[João Victor Mattos · Rating 5 out of 5]

O melhor livro sobre estética já feito

[William Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an unnecessarily tough read. While insights, and sections are well worth the effort, often you may find yourself lost in intense verbosity that obfuscates any semblance of meaning from the text.

This may in part be a product of the translation, though my assumption is that given its date and subject that that is more true to form. However, this piece still remains at the very least the most affordable text on Aesthetic as a science and its delve into its relationship to speech is intriguing and ultimately well constructed as long as you are willing to swim in circles long enough to find the meaning.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tough read. But well worth the struggle.

[Tim Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Poetry is the maternal language of human kind." - Benedetto Croce (1866 - 1952)