Most books on aesthetics tend to be either too theoretical for the arts or not theoretical enough for philosophy. This book strikes a new and better balance between these competing interests. By taking a normative question--why should we value the arts?--it manages to develop a genuinely philosophical understanding of art and its value while never losing sight of the poems, pictures and music which draw and sustain interest in the arts.In this new second edition, chapters have been revised to include new material and also an added chapter about the subjectivity of aesthetic judgement, the importance of the artist's intention and the possibility of an aesthetic appreciation of nature. The book concludes with a critical survey of art theories and introduces some complex issues surrounding disputes between Marxism, structuralism and postmodernism.

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