Aesthetics is the philosophical branch of inquiry concerned with beauty, art and perception. From its philosophic roots in ancient Greece, where thinkers like Socrates and Plato considered the inherent meaning and beauty of things, aesthetics is also used to refer to the critique of art and design.
The word – aesthetics – derives from the ancient Greek word aisthanomai, which means perception by the senses. As such, it is used in modern English as a noun, in the sense that something can appeal to the senses. Since the meaning of the word relies upon sensory perception, its definition is fluid, varying through time, and it subjective, differing between people and cultures.
In a more general sense, aesthetics, as a philosophy refers to the study of sensory values. This means, the judgment or evaluation by the senses and, through time, has come to refer to critical or philosophical thought about art, culture and/or nature. A subfield of axiology, the philosophy of art – aesthetics is interested in ways of seeing, and sensing the world. As a field of study, aesthetics involves ways of seeing and perceiving the world, as well as new and novel interpretations.
In a contemporary sense, aesthetic can be used to reference a particular style or design. For example, a culture that uses a motif through many areas of design and function can be said to appreciate or adhere to a specific aesthetic.
As a critical study, aesthetics assumes an ability to judge on a sensory level, as well as a collective agreement about ideals of beauty. The philosopher Immanuel Kant distinguished between an object’s ability to be ‘agreeable’ to one person, as it is in line with personal taste, while not conforming to more widely held notions of beauty. In this analysis beauty is a more actual quality than mere opinion.
Read more: The Philosophy of Aesthetics