The Aesthetics Reading Group welcomes any students (undergraduate or postgraduate) and faculty members who are interested in reading and discussing classic or important works in aesthetics and the philosophy of art. Future terms will include the possibility of discussing works-in-progress by group members.
We meet in person every second Thursday from 3pm - 5pm in the Faculty's Postgraduate Common Room. (N.B.: there is one exception this term; see below.) For this inaugural term, readings have been chosen in advance. In future terms, if there is sustained interest, we will welcome suggestions for readings from regularly attending group members. Whoever chooses a reading will be expected to present a brief (5 minutes max.) and informal introduction of the reading and its issues to set up the group discussion.
The schedule for the 2025 Lent Term is:
Week 2 - Thursday 30 January, 3:00 to 5:00 - Kendall Walton, "Categories of Art"
Week 4 - Thursday 13 February, 3:00 to 5:00 - Walter Benjamin, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction"
Week 6 - Thursday 27 February, 3:00 to 5:00 - Roger Scruton, "Photography and Representation"
Week 8 - Wednesday 12 March, 1:00 to 3:00 - Antonia Phillips, "The Limits of Portrayal" (NOTE the change of day and time this week)
Convenors: David Collins (dc914@cam.ac.uk) and Rose Ryan Flinn (rir21@cam.ac.uk)