Scottish Aesthetics Forum

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Scottish Aesthetics Forum

SAF, generously supported by the BSA seeks to address interest in philosophically-informed discourse on aesthetics and the arts across Scotland.

SAF is hosted by the Universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, and runs in person and online. The Scottish Aesthetics Forum (SAF) aims to address a widespread interest in all areas of philosophical aesthetics, including a diversity of approaches, as well as interdisciplinary perspectives on aesthetics and the arts from across the arts, humanities, and sciences. We also aim to foster close links with universities, art institutions, and artists across Scotland, and are open to suggestions for future projects and collaborations. Our lectures are free and open to all. SAF is possible through the generous support of the British Society of Aesthetics and the Scots Philosophical Association. From 2015 until September 2020, SAF was hosted by the University of Edinburgh. From September 2020 on, we will be hosted by the University of St Andrews, and run our lectures on ZOOM for the time being. For more information, please visit the following websites:

Scottish Aesthetics Forum
https://www.scottishaestheticsforum.com/

British Society of Aesthetics
http://www.british-aesthetics.org

Scots Philosophical Association
http://www.scotsphil.org.uk

01/05/2026

Our next talk at the Scottish Aesthetics Forum will be 'Thoughts on the Standard of Correctness for Photographs' by Dawn Wilson (University of Hull), 8th May, 4-6pm. It will take place in person at St Andrews (Room 104, Edgecliffe), and online on Zoom.

21/01/2026

Our next talk from Rob Hopkins (NYU) is happening on 4th February 2026, 4-6pm. Come along and join us online or in-person in Edinburgh.

Abstract: Recently, philosophers have begun to explore how pictures are structured—what their various meaningful parts might be, and how the meaning of the whole emerges from the meaning of those parts and the way they are combined. Some undertaking these investigations hope to develop a compositional semantics for pictures parallel to that on offer for language. I am sceptical. My hypothesis is that this is one point at which language and pictures diverge. The various parts of a picture mean what they do, indeed mean anything at all, only given what the other parts mean. As a result, except in rare cases, it is not possible to develop a theory capable of predicting the meaning of a whole picture from knowledge of its parts. Pictures do exhibit structure, but that structure is holistic. This has consequences for aesthetics. It explains how picture-making is permeated by the artist’s technique and style, as writing is not. And it offers a new explanation of a puzzling phenomenon: that even accomplished artists have often copied the work of others.

When: 4 February 2026, 4-6pm
Where: 40 George Square, room LG.09

27/11/2025

Our next talk from Rebecca Wallbank is happening on 11th December 2025, 3-5pm. Come along and join us online (link below) or in-person in Glasgow.

Abstract: Many find the prospect of aesthetic skepticism so deeply unappealing that any analysis that implies it is automatically regarded as flawed. Frank Sibley has gone so far as to describe the ‘theoretical sceptic’s doubt as absurd’ (1968: 50–51). I argue we should take aesthetic skepticism more seriously- standard approaches to it fail.

I also argue that there are reasons why we might not be too concerned by the failure of standard approaches. There are two plausible means of dispelling the force of the skeptical concern. The first is to simply reject different premises of the skeptical argument to that which is standard. The second is to accept the skeptical argument but reject the idea that it entails has particularly troubling implications. I lean towards embracing the second. The skeptical conclusion is generally found to be intuitively unappealing in virtue of its association with particular doxastic norms – in particular, those pertaining to the suspension of belief. This paper will argue that such norms are invalid in this particular context.

Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86319740630...

Meeting ID: 863 1974 0630
Passcode: 106327

04/11/2025

SAF is back for the new academic year, with a talk by Adriana Clavel, titled 'Towards a Decolonial Universalism in Aesthetics'.

The talk is taking place on November 14th 3-5pm GMT on Zoom. Abstract and link below:

Abstract:
Universalist views of aesthetic value argue that aesthetic judgements make a claim on all aesthetic agents to partake in the invitation to appreciate the relevant objects. Recently, however, universalism has been abandoned in favour of communitarian views, according to which aesthetic judgements only make a claim on specific aesthetic communities. The main advantage of communitarianism is that it can make sense of the role particular interests play in aesthetic valuing. Universalism, on the contrary, has traditionally involved a hegemony that leads to aesthetic marginalization and results in aesthetic injustices. In this paper, however, I argue that communitarian views cannot do justice to the interests of marginalized aesthetic communities because they ultimately involve the surrender of the responsibility of aesthetic agents to partake in a process of mutual recognition. Instead, following insights from decolonial feminists Serene Khader and María Lugones, I argue for a decolonial universalism in aesthetics that takes as a starting point a rehabilitated notion of aesthetic autonomy. By embracing the situated character of aesthetic objects but retaining the idea that they are appreciated for their own sake, aesthetic autonomy can provide the grounds for the universal claim of aesthetic judgements.

Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86319740630?pwd=9aLhNJ0SkFkQSK3sQYliz0BoZlGHF0.1

Meeting ID: 863 1974 0630
Passcode: 106327

Address

University Of Edinburgh
Edinburgh

Website

http://www.scottishaestheticsforum.com/

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