Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that studies beauty, taste, and related phenomena. In a broad sense, it includes the philosophy of art, which examines the nature of art, artistic creativity, th
The nature of aesthetic experiences, like the admiration of artworks, is a central topic of aesthetics.
In his 1790 book Critique of Judgment, Immanuel Kant argued that aesthetic judgments are subjective, universal, disinterested, and involve an interplay of sense, imagination, and understanding.
Conventionalist definitions of art assert that art is a socially constructed category. They explain that readymade objects like Marcel Duchamp's Fountain are considered art by reference to established conventions.
Some categorizations of art forms focus on the medium used to express artistic ideas, such as the use of oil paint.
Ethics is the philosophical study of moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branc
According to Aristotle, how to lead a good life is one of the central questions of ethics.
According to discourse ethics, as formulated by Jürgen Habermas, moral norms are justified by rational discourse within society.
The practices of compassion and loving-kindness are key elements of Buddhist ethics.