In aesthetics, the concept of taste has been the interest of philosophers such as Plato, Hume, and Kant. It is defined by the ability to make valid judgments about an object's aesthetic value. However, these judgments are deficient in objectivity, creating the 'paradox of taste'. The term 'taste' is used because these judgments are similarly made when one physically tastes food.
Hume, Kant and Bourdieu
David Hume addressed the subject of aesthetic taste in an essay entitled “Of the Standard of Taste”, one of four essays published in his Four Dissertations in 1757. "Of the Standard of Taste" is highly regarded for its insights into aesthetics. While Hume is generally seen as an empiricist, in matters of taste, he can be classified as an ideal observer theorist, allowing for individual and cultural preferences. Hume distinguishes between sentiments, always correct as they reference only themselves, and determinations, which can be incorrect as they refer to something beyond. Beauty, for Hume, is "no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty". This, according to Hume, makes judgments of beauty and taste sentiments rather than determinations.
Hume argues that beauty lies in the mind, not the object, and opinions about beauty are influenced by cultural conventions, subject to change. He introduces the concept of a true judge, an individual with "strong sense, united to delicate sentiment, improved by practice, perfected by comparison, and cleared of all prejudice." The combined opinions of these rare individuals form the standard of taste, existing within them. This standard is not to be confused with contemporary art critics; the true judge does not apply a standard to objects but possesses ideal perception, enhancing their ability to appreciate beauty. Hume suggests that improving perception leads to better taste.
For Immanuel Kant, as discussed in his Critique of Judgment, beauty is not a property of any object, but an aesthetic judgement based on a subjective feeling. He claims that a genuine good taste does exist, though it could not be empirically identified. The validity of a judgement is not to be ascertained by means of the general view of the majority or some specific social group because taste is both personal and beyond reasoning. Nonetheless, Kant stresses that our preferences, even on generally liked things, do not justify the objectivity of our judgements.
Bourdieu argued against the Kantian view of pure aesthetics, stating that the legitimate taste of the society is the taste of the ruling class.[citation needed] This position also rejects the idea of genuine good taste, as the legitimate taste is merely a class taste. This idea was also proposed by Simmel, who noted that the upper classes abandon fashions as they are adopted by lower ones.[citation needed]
Bad taste
Bad taste (also poor taste or vulgarity) is generally used to deride individuals with 'poor' aesthetic judgment. Bad taste can become a respected and cultivated (if perhaps defiant and belligerent) aesthetic, for example in the works of filmmaker John Waters, sculptor Jeff Koons, or the popular McMansion style of architecture.
A contemporary view—a retrospective review of literature—is that "a good deal of dramatic verse written during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods is in poor taste because it is bombast [high-sounding language with little meaning]".
Grayck argues that individuals can only be judged as having poor taste if their tastes are informed by the aesthetics education they received.
See also
- Aesthetics
- Artistic merit
- Camp (style)
- Censorship
- Fashion
- Highbrow
- Kitsch
- Low culture
- Style (visual arts)
- Subjectivism
- Western canon
Notes
- Bonard, Constant; Cova, Florian; Humbert-Droz, Steve (2021). "De gustibus est disputandum: An empirical investigation of the folk concept of aesthetic taste". PsyArVix Preprints – via PsyArVix Preprints.
- Hume, David (1757). Four Dissertations (1st ed.). London: A. Millar in the Strand.
- Hume, David (1985). Miller, Eugene F. (ed.). Essays: Moral, Political, and Literary (Revised ed.). Liberty Fund. p. 230.
- "Internet History Sourcebooks: Modern History". sourcebooks.fordham.edu. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- "Aesthetic Taste | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy". Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- Gronow, Jukka (1997). Sociology of Taste. London: Routledge. pp. 11, 87. ISBN 0-415-13294-0.
- Gracyk, Theodore A. (1 April 1990). "Having Bad Taste". The British Journal of Aesthetics. 30 (2): 117–131. doi:10.1093/bjaesthetics/30.2.117.
- Abrams, M. H. (1998). "Vulgarity". Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. Penguin. p. 976. ISBN 978-0-631-20271-4.
References
- Arsel, Zeynep; Jonathan Bean (2013). "Taste Regimes and Market-Mediated Practice". Journal of Consumer Research. 39 (5): 899–917. doi:10.1086/666595.
- Bourdieu, Pierre (1984). Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-04546-0.
- Bourdieu, Pierre (1986). "The Forms of Capital". In Richardson, John G (ed.). Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-23529-5.
- Bragg, Melvyn (25 October 2007), Taste, In Our Time, BBC Radio 4, retrieved 18 September 2010
- Ekelund, Robert B. Jr.; Hébert, Robert F. (1990). A History of Economic Theory and Method. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. ISBN 0-07-019416-5.
- Friedman, Sam; Kuipers, Giselinde (2013). "The divisive power of humour: Comedy, taste and symbolic boundaries" (PDF). Cultural Sociology. 7 (2): 179–195. doi:10.1177/1749975513477405. S2CID 53362319.
- Gronow, Jukka (1997). Sociology of Taste. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-13294-0.
- Hennion, Antoine (2007). "Those Things That Hold Us Together: Taste and Sociology". Cultural Sociology. 1 (1). London: Sage: 97–114.
- Holt, Douglas B. (June 1998). "Does Cultural Capital Structure American Consumption?"". The Journal of Consumer Research. 25 (1): 1–25.
- Horkheimer, Max; Adorno, Theodor W (1982). Dialectic of the Enlightenment. New York: The Continuum publishing Corporation. ISBN 0-8264-0093-0.
- Koehrsen, Jens (2018). "Religious Tastes and Styles as Markers of Class Belonging" (PDF). Sociology. doi:10.1177/0038038517722288. S2CID 149369482.
- Outwaite, William; Bottonmore, Tom (1996). The Blackwell Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Social Thought. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
- Simmel, Georg (May 1957). "Fashion". The American Journal of Sociology. 62 (6): 541–558.
- Slater, Don (1997). Consumer Culture and Modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press. ISBN 978-0-7456-0304-9.
- Spicher, Michael R. "Aesthetic Taste". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Stern, Jane; Stern, Michael (1990). The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-016470-0.
- Vercelloni, Luca (2016). The Invention of Taste. A Cultural Account of Desire, Delight and Disgust in Fashion, Food and Art. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-4742-7360-2.
In aesthetics the concept of taste has been the interest of philosophers such as Plato Hume and Kant It is defined by the ability to make valid judgments about an object s aesthetic value However these judgments are deficient in objectivity creating the paradox of taste The term taste is used because these judgments are similarly made when one physically tastes food For Kant beauty is not a property of any object but an aesthetic judgement based on a subjective feeling Hume Kant and BourdieuDavid Hume addressed the subject of aesthetic taste in an essay entitled Of the Standard of Taste one of four essays published in his Four Dissertations in 1757 Of the Standard of Taste is highly regarded for its insights into aesthetics While Hume is generally seen as an empiricist in matters of taste he can be classified as an ideal observer theorist allowing for individual and cultural preferences Hume distinguishes between sentiments always correct as they reference only themselves and determinations which can be incorrect as they refer to something beyond Beauty for Hume is no quality in things themselves It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them and each mind perceives a different beauty This according to Hume makes judgments of beauty and taste sentiments rather than determinations Hume argues that beauty lies in the mind not the object and opinions about beauty are influenced by cultural conventions subject to change He introduces the concept of a true judge an individual with strong sense united to delicate sentiment improved by practice perfected by comparison and cleared of all prejudice The combined opinions of these rare individuals form the standard of taste existing within them This standard is not to be confused with contemporary art critics the true judge does not apply a standard to objects but possesses ideal perception enhancing their ability to appreciate beauty Hume suggests that improving perception leads to better taste For Immanuel Kant as discussed in his Critique of Judgment beauty is not a property of any object but an aesthetic judgement based on a subjective feeling He claims that a genuine good taste does exist though it could not be empirically identified The validity of a judgement is not to be ascertained by means of the general view of the majority or some specific social group because taste is both personal and beyond reasoning Nonetheless Kant stresses that our preferences even on generally liked things do not justify the objectivity of our judgements Bourdieu argued against the Kantian view of pure aesthetics stating that the legitimate taste of the society is the taste of the ruling class citation needed This position also rejects the idea of genuine good taste as the legitimate taste is merely a class taste This idea was also proposed by Simmel who noted that the upper classes abandon fashions as they are adopted by lower ones citation needed Bad tasteBad taste also poor taste or vulgarity is generally used to deride individuals with poor aesthetic judgment Bad taste can become a respected and cultivated if perhaps defiant and belligerent aesthetic for example in the works of filmmaker John Waters sculptor Jeff Koons or the popular McMansion style of architecture A contemporary view a retrospective review of literature is that a good deal of dramatic verse written during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods is in poor taste because it is bombast high sounding language with little meaning Grayck argues that individuals can only be judged as having poor taste if their tastes are informed by the aesthetics education they received See alsoAesthetics Artistic merit Camp style Censorship Fashion Highbrow Kitsch Low culture Style visual arts Subjectivism Western canonNotesBonard Constant Cova Florian Humbert Droz Steve 2021 De gustibus est disputandum An empirical investigation of the folk concept of aesthetic taste PsyArVix Preprints via PsyArVix Preprints Hume David 1757 Four Dissertations 1st ed London A Millar in the Strand Hume David 1985 Miller Eugene F ed Essays Moral Political and Literary Revised ed Liberty Fund p 230 Internet History Sourcebooks Modern History sourcebooks fordham edu Retrieved 30 December 2023 Aesthetic Taste Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Retrieved 30 December 2023 Gronow Jukka 1997 Sociology of Taste London Routledge pp 11 87 ISBN 0 415 13294 0 Gracyk Theodore A 1 April 1990 Having Bad Taste The British Journal of Aesthetics 30 2 117 131 doi 10 1093 bjaesthetics 30 2 117 Abrams M H 1998 Vulgarity Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory Penguin p 976 ISBN 978 0 631 20271 4 ReferencesWikiquote has quotations related to Aesthetic taste Arsel Zeynep Jonathan Bean 2013 Taste Regimes and Market Mediated Practice Journal of Consumer Research 39 5 899 917 doi 10 1086 666595 Bourdieu Pierre 1984 Distinction A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste London Routledge ISBN 0 415 04546 0 Bourdieu Pierre 1986 The Forms of Capital In Richardson John G ed Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education New York Greenwood Press ISBN 0 313 23529 5 Bragg Melvyn 25 October 2007 Taste In Our Time BBC Radio 4 retrieved 18 September 2010 Ekelund Robert B Jr Hebert Robert F 1990 A History of Economic Theory and Method 3rd ed New York McGraw Hill Publishing Company ISBN 0 07 019416 5 Friedman Sam Kuipers Giselinde 2013 The divisive power of humour Comedy taste and symbolic boundaries PDF Cultural Sociology 7 2 179 195 doi 10 1177 1749975513477405 S2CID 53362319 Gronow Jukka 1997 Sociology of Taste London Routledge ISBN 0 415 13294 0 Hennion Antoine 2007 Those Things That Hold Us Together Taste and Sociology Cultural Sociology 1 1 London Sage 97 114 Holt Douglas B June 1998 Does Cultural Capital Structure American Consumption The Journal of Consumer Research 25 1 1 25 Horkheimer Max Adorno Theodor W 1982 Dialectic of the Enlightenment New York The Continuum publishing Corporation ISBN 0 8264 0093 0 Koehrsen Jens 2018 Religious Tastes and Styles as Markers of Class Belonging PDF Sociology doi 10 1177 0038038517722288 S2CID 149369482 Outwaite William Bottonmore Tom 1996 The Blackwell Dictionary of Twentieth Century Social Thought Oxford Blackwell Publishers Simmel Georg May 1957 Fashion The American Journal of Sociology 62 6 541 558 Slater Don 1997 Consumer Culture and Modernity Cambridge Polity Press ISBN 978 0 7456 0304 9 Spicher Michael R Aesthetic Taste Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Stern Jane Stern Michael 1990 The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste New York Harper Collins ISBN 0 06 016470 0 Vercelloni Luca 2016 The Invention of Taste A Cultural Account of Desire Delight and Disgust in Fashion Food and Art London Bloomsbury ISBN 978 1 4742 7360 2 Portals PhilosophySociety
