Foundation Of Modern Aesthetic Thought

As the origin of the Chinese modern esthetics, the esthetic thought of Wang Guowei plays a directing role to the esthetics development of China in the 20th century. Its meaning consists in arising the spirit of the modern esthetics and establishing the knowledge standard of the studying of the esthetics, but also linking beauty appreciating to real life and constructing the system of the modern esthetics. Wang Guowei's esthetics shows the transformation from classic esthetics to the modern esthetics and the turning of the thought from bottom-down to bottom-up through deep attitudes toward culture and life. At the same time, it also provides the consult and follow in how to realize the transformation of esthetics under the background of culture communication between China and western countries as well as the reasonable attitude in realizing the real and equal dialogue between the two kinds of cultures.With modern esthetic field, this essay tries to break through the limitation of the forerunners and to explore the position of Wang's thought in the history of modern esthetics in historical and logical ways. It explains the basic role of esthetic thought and outlines the historical development of modern esthetics in which provides the help for the setting-up of the modern Marxist esthetics system.The full dissertation is divided into three parts.The first part: Establishment of the spirit of the modern esthetics.The spirit of the modem esthetics is the main symbol of emerging of the modern esthetics. Wang Guowei clears away all the obstacles for human being's sense existence by driving out the ancient object reasons from human being's realm of existence and emotion by using criticism on the object reasons. He establishes the basic principle of freedom and personality in the esthetic and art activity by emphasizing the genius' pain. What's more, Wang Guowei publicizes human being's awareness, subject's rising, personality's liberation by initiating the sublime, and then breaks the classical harmony on the above base. These touch the contradictibn and opposition of the awakened individuals and the ancient social norms, the spreaded senses and the ancient abstract object reasons. It can be said that Wang Guowei is the first person researched on the personality liberation in the movement of the new culture by his exploration on the individual life.The second part: The fundamental replacement of the knowledge mode of esthetics.With the incitement of philosophy and esthetics and the acknowledgement of the theory frame of western modern esthetics, Wang advocates the independence of beauty appreciating and establishes the independent position of the esthetic subject,which sets up the basic foundation for the transformation of esthetics studies as well as its establishment of course system. As far as thinking method is concerned, Wang takes leave to the classical piecemeal scrappy and intuitional form of thinking. With the clear definition, strict inference and accurate argument analysis, as well as the methods of philosophy, psychology, physiology, archeology, Wang breaks the oneness of the method of traditional esthetics thought and the simplification of the studying methods, and accelerates the development of the modern esthetics ideas, thus he establishes the appearance, method and criteria of the modem esthetics. With this foundation, Wang stipulates the philosophical feature and basic duty to the esthetics with sharp course consciousness. He also prescribes the different characteristics of science, history and literature, introduces the new discourse, tries to regulate it and brings it to be more scientific. Since then, Wang opens the course system of Chinese esthetics, deeply explores the problems and arguments of modern esthetics, which push forward the un-systematic thinking pattern to become a modern and independent one of Chinese esthetics.The third part: The esthetic outlook on life and artWang's thought has an intimate relation with the problems of life. He solves the problems from th...