On the Manifold Meanings of Aesthetic Experience: Lonergan and Chrétien on Art
The Heythrop Journal January 1, 2026 Gregory P. Floyd
The author argues that the accounts of beauty by Jean-Louis Chrétien and of art and aesthetic experience by Bernard Lonergan complement each other, together providing a philosophical account of the ontological, ethical, intellectual, and transcendent dimensions of art and aesthetic experience. Chrétien highlights the ontological dimension of aesthetic experience as one of 'call and response,' and his analysis of beauty's evocative character helps thematize a foundation implied but not thematized in Lonergan's work. Lonergan's reflection emphasizes the ethical, intellectual, and transcendental aspects, introducing distinctions that clarify these dimensions with force.