Sociology 461 (400 level) - Philosophy of Arts 1st paper Coursework

Sociology 461 (400 level) - Philosophy of Arts 1st paper - Course give out ExampleThere are many a(prenominal) philosophers who have tried to define what art is but in this case, the essay will explore the perspectives of Immanuel Kant and king of beasts Tolstoy. The essay will show that even though the two philosophers have very different approaches to art, they do agree on its universality in that it transcends contexts. First, the definition of art will be discussed followed by how the philosophers articulate art and lastly, conclusion.What is art? Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) defines art as production through freedom (Kant 182). This means that a peck of work must be ground on reason or rational considerations. As such, productions which fetch without any rational considerations for Kant cannot be regarded as art but as works of nature. For example, the bees honeycombs though they seem well designed are produced through nature and not human design or satisfy hence cannot be re garded as art. For Kant therefore, human intellect is crucial for a piece of work to be produced and be regarded as an art. Art is therefore a skill of human beings developed through incur or after several trials hence perfection. Art is also liberal in nature consort to Kant hence does not need compulsion but free spirit (p. 183). Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) on the former(a) hand, refutes this claim by Kant of art being the product of a rational mind and emphasizes on the case of emotions. For Tolstoy, art is an activity aimed at conveying the feelings or means of communication among people (Tolstoy 37). In this case, the artisan is given great importance in that he or she has to arouse feelings in people. Art is therefore, a human activity whereby one man consciously conveys to others, by certain external signs (movements, lines, colours, sounds), the feelings he/she has see (p. 37-40). The audience thus must be infected by those feelings and experience them otherwise the piece o f work would cease to be an art. For example, a poem should