On the Manifold Meanings of Aesthetic Experience: Lonergan and Chrétien on Art

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.

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Abstract

Abstract I argue that Jean‐Louis Chrétien’s account of beauty and Bernard Lonergan’s account of art and aesthetic experience complement one another and, when taken together, offer an illuminating philosophical account of the ontological, ethical, intellectual, and transcendent aspects of art and aesthetic experience. Chrétien draws out with particular perspicacity the ontological dimension of aesthetic experience as that of ‘call and response’. His analysis of the evocative character of beauty helps thematise a foundation which is implied but not thematised in Lonergan’s account. The latter’s reflection on art and aesthetic experience is characterised by its distinct emphasis on the ethical, intellectual, and transcendental aspects of aesthetic experience. He introduces a set of distinctions that draw out these aspects with force and clarity.