Contemporary Perspectives on Susanne K. Langer's Concept of Mind
Agáta Košičanová
ESPES July 4, 2022 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6647400 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Susanne k. langer Neuroaesthetics Mind Non-discursiveness |
| Key points | Argues that Susanne Langer's philosophical approach, emphasizing the non-discursive realm of the mind, offers a framework for neuroaesthetic inquiry that advances beyond John Dewey's account. |
Abstract
The continual possibility of aesthetic experience throughout history has prompted philosophical reflections about its nature and meaning in human life. This article outlines some neuroscientific ways of understanding its functioning, focusing specifically on Susanne Langer’s contribution. Commonly subsumed under the heading ‘philosophy of mind’ – especially due to the trilogy Mind: An Essay on Human Feeling – Langer’s interests in the human mind developed already in the 1950s, as witnessed by the paper The Deepening Mind. A Half-Century of American Philosophy. Following these lines, the article discusses Langer’s philosophical approach from the perspective of a (neuro)aesthetic inquiry, emphasizing particularly the importance of the non-discursive realm of the mind. It also shows how Langer’s account might be seen as going beyond that of John Dewey, which is often referred to as an advancement in the historical development of neuroaesthetics.