Art in Three Dimensions

Art in Three Dimensions is a collection of essays by one of the most eminent figures in philosophy of art. The animating idea behind Noël Carroll’s work is that philosophers of art should eschew the sort of aestheticism that often implicitly — but sometimes explicitly, as in the case of aesthetic theories of art and of their commitments to the notion of the autonomy of art — governs their methodology. Instead, Carroll argues that philosophers of art need to refocus their attention on the ways in which art enters the life of culture and the lives of individual audience members. The reference to “three dimensions” in the title refers to Carroll’s view that philosophers of art should look at art from multiple angles and treat it as a substantial participant not only in society, but also as a significant influence upon the moral and emotional experiences of audiences.