Art And Experience

Dewey built his own philosophy theory with a strong sense of reality and meaning of life by rethinking of philosophy and criticizing traditional Metaphysics. He encouraged people to perform real effective intellectual activities in the real life. This dissertation focuses on Philosophy of art in Dewey's Aesthetics. However, Dewey's research on art has been a breakthrough in the field of traditional aesthetics, and it has placed art in the human civilization and the cultural history. Therefore, if we depart from Dewey's whole philosophic thought, the research of art will not be complete. Especially if the philosophic analysis and development of Dewey's thought is not mentioned, we are not able to understand the deep meaning of Dewey's Philosophy of art. In Dewey's Philosophical idea and his view of art of Philosophy, this dissertation tries to study on how Dewey reconstructed traditional philosophy and art concept, and then reveal the value and meaning of Dewey's art of Philosophy in western philosophy history. Accordingly, we are able to re-reflect philosophy, reality, and how to make life truly meaningful and dynamic.This dissertation tends to present systematicness. Firstly, this dissertation demonstrates the source of Dewey's philosophic thought, and relates it to the whole western philosophic history. Next, this dissertation explores Dewey's Philosophical idea, which means what is philosophy and how it is. Under the background of philosophy idea, Dewey analyzed and criticized the traditional philosophy, showing that reconstruction of Philosophy should begin with the fundamental concepts of philosophy, and he chose the concept of experience, which is also the start of our study on his philosophy of art. Dewey's experience emancipated the theory of experience of 17 Century, believing that experience of a concept with the same meaning of life and culture, and he broadened the significance of experience. Consequently, we enter Dewey's art area. In Dewey's opinion, art has a meaning only when it is experience, art is necessary only when it has something to do with life, and simultaneously art is perfect and different from ordinary experience. In other words, art strengthens and deepens the ordinary experience. Accordingly, it becomes the ideal experience and unifies the aims of ordinary experience. Also, this dissertation discusses the relation between art and the other cultural models and areas in our civilized world. It indicates that art and other cultural phenomena have the same essence, which develops on purpose of people's experience and enrich people's life. This is a premise of unifying cultural splits. The stance of this dissertation is Dewey's development of philosophy and society, showing the significance of it. The dissertation reflects the unity Dewey advocated, which agrees the aim of Dewey's philosophic development. At last, this dissertation presents the deeper meaning of Dewey's art philosophy, and reveals Dewey's philosophy of art is an important part in practical philosophy and has modern culture philosophy viewpoint, which is quite an inclusive stance close to life, practice and culture. Thus, it has very important value and meaning for us to understand modern philosophy trend, aesthetic theory and inherent spirit of culture.