The ‘Moralism’ in Immoralism: A Critique of Immoralism in Aesthetics

British Journal of Aesthetics 59 (1):13-33 (2018)
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Abstract

According to immoralists, some artworks are better aesthetically in virtue of their immorality. A. W. Eaton recently offered a novel defence of this view, seeking to overcome shortcomings in previous accounts, thereby occasioning a reconsideration of immoralism. Yet, as I argue in this paper, Eaton’s attempt is unsuccessful, insofar as it consists partly of inadequately supported claims, and partly—and more interestingly, albeit paradoxically––of covert moralist assumptions that are, eo ipso, incompatible with immoralism. I then turn to a parallel debate in ethics concerning the possibility of admirable immorality, suggesting that a consideration of the state of that debate further supports my argument against immoralism. I close by suggesting some strategies by which immoralists may offer a rejoinder, although I note that their prospects are rather dim, not least because available defences of immoralism and similar positions all seem to share the same flawed pattern.

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Panos Paris
Cardiff University

Citations of this work

Admiration, Appreciation, and Aesthetic Worth.Daniel Whiting - 2023 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 101 (2):375-389.
Higher-Order Evidence in Aesthetics.Daniel Whiting - 2023 - British Journal of Aesthetics 63 (2):143-155.
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The Qua Problem in the Value Interaction Debate.Moonyoung Song - forthcoming - British Journal of Aesthetics.

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References found in this work

Robust Immoralism.A. W. Eaton - 2012 - Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 70 (3):281-292.
In Praise of Immoral Art.Daniel Jacobson - 1997 - Philosophical Topics 25 (1):155-199.
Immoralism and the Valence Constraint.James Harold - 2008 - British Journal of Aesthetics 48 (1):45-64.
Appreciating Bad Art.John Dyck & Matt Johnson - 2017 - Journal of Value Inquiry 51 (2):279-292.
Do Moral Flaws Enhance Amusement?Aaron Smuts - 2009 - American Philosophical Quarterly 46 (2):151-163.

View all 11 references / Add more references