An Introduction to Kant′s Aesthetics

The starting point of Kant's aesthetics, and Wenzel's treatment, is the observation that aesthetic judgments seem to hover uneasily between subjective and objective domains. On the one hand, there appear to be standards of taste, such that aesthetic judgments demand some kind of consensus; on the other hand, there simultaneously seem to exist no specific rules governing what is beautiful. Beginning with this premise, Kant delineates four moments of aesthetic judgment, considers the question of the beautiful, the sublime, and the ugly, and from this groundwork creates a new philosophical theory that reveals the essence of taste, and much else, about human nature besides.

Wenzel artfully guides readers through Kant's work with thoroughness and clarity, making Kant's aesthetics accessible to newcomers and more rewarding for those returning to the subject.