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585Worldmaking: Property rights in aesthetic creationsJournal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 45 (2): 183-192. 1986.This paper delves into the nature of intellectual property rights in aesthetic creations, particularly works of visual art and literary works. The discussion focuses on copyrights interests, but there are also implications for trademark and patent rights. The argument assumes a fairly conventional definition of "property," namely, the set of legal relations between the owner and all other persons relating to the use, enjoyment and disposition of a tangible thing. The problem with such a defin…Read more
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243The Aesthetics of TrademarksContemporary Aesthetics 6. 2008.Trademarks are not just property; they are aesthetic creations that pervade everyday experience. As pervasive aesthetic creations having literary, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, and musical content, trademarks deserve aesthetic analysis. So this paper discusses the origins, strength, appeal, and effectiveness of trademarks within the context of aesthetic considerations such as meaning, intention, authorship, and mode of creation. Also reviewed are morphemic and phonemic analysis of trademark…Read more
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80Legal aestheticsBritish Journal of Aesthetics 19 (3): 195-212. 1979.This paper outlines how the law has defined art and addressed problems in aesthetics. The discussion shows how the law examines the physical, temporal, and perceptual characteristics of works of art and their manner of creation to determine which works will be legally recognized and protected. The paper also discusses differentiations between various kinds of creations, including art, ornament, design, and craft. Besides outlining how the law judges art, the paper assesses the limitations of …Read more
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12Aesthetic quality and art preservationJournal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 41 (3): 309-322. 1983.After describing a constantly changing aesthetic environment in which artistic and architectural works are created and destroyed, this paper asks how legal judgments are made to preserve such works. Specifically the paper addresses legal standards for art preservation such as "recognized quality," "serious artistic value," and "historic, artistic or aesthetic interest." The discussion surveys many of the laws which require "quality" in art, the court opinions which interpret these laws and lega…Read more
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8Humor and Enlightenment, Part I: The TheoryContemporary Aesthetics 14. 2016.Part I of this article advances a new theory of humor, the Enlightenment Theory, while contrasting it with other main theories, including the Incongruity, Repression/Relief/Release, and Superiority Theories. The Enlightenment Theory does not contradict these other theories but rather subsumes them. As argued, each of the other theories cannot account for all the aspects of humor explained by the Enlightenment Theory. The discussion is illustrated with examples of humor and explores the acts and …Read more
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7Humor and Enlightenment, Part II: The Theory AppliedContemporary Aesthetics 14. 2016.Part I of this article advanced a new theory of humor, the Enlightenment Theory, while contrasting it with other main theories, including the Incongruity, Repression/Relief/Release, and Superiority Theories. The Enlightenment Theory does not contradict these other theories but rather subsumes them. As argued, each of the other theories cannot account for all the aspects of humor explained by the Enlightenment Theory. Part II shows how the Enlightenment Theory meets challenging issues in humor…Read more
Areas of Specialization
Metaphysics |
Aesthetics |
Areas of Interest
Aesthetics |
Philosophy of Mathematics |