What do modern art, a symphony, and a documentary film have in common? They all require aesthetic considerations. This program presents the ideas of key figures in the shaping and understanding of aesthetics-from Plato, Francis Hutcheson, and Kant to Leon Battista Alberti, Stendhal, and Tolstoy-and addresses pivotal writings, including Aristotle's Poetics and Morris Weitz's "The Role of Theory in Aesthetics." Columbia University's Arthur Danto and Princeton University's Alexander Nehamas offer keen insights into the interactions between artist, artwork, and audience as they have evolved over the centuries.

Encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on May 12, 2005. Learn360 is distributed by Infobase for Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education, and Shopware.

Philosophy of Art (3:42) -- Plato Versus Aristotle (4:02) -- Specifying the Rules (2:44) -- Foundations for Aesthetics (3:29) -- Beyond Reason (5:20) -- From Kant to Hegel (5:20) -- Nietzsche's Contribution (4:16) -- Twentieth Century Aesthetics (4:31) -- Challenges to Conventionalism (4:42) -- Rethinking the Idea of Art (4:03) -- Aesthetics of Technology (2:59) -- Evolving Aesthetics (3:16) -- Desegregation in schools bookmark (0:36) -- SEGMENT 1 (0:00).