Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Aesthetics
Areas of Interest
Metaphysics
Aesthetics
  •  583
    On the prototype theory of concepts and the definition of art
    Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 63 (3). 2005.
    It has been claimed that the prototype theory of concepts supports two controversial claims in the philosophy of art: that art cannot be defined, and that the possession of a certain sort of historical narrative is a sufficient but not necessary means of determining the art status of contested works. It is argued here that two sorts of considerations undermine the thesis that prototype theory offers significant support to anti-definitionism and historical narrativism. First, there is reason to…Read more
  •  314
    Defining Art
    In Anna Christina Ribeiro (ed.), The Bloomsbury Companion to Aesthetics, Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 39-54. 2015.
    Overview of the definition of art and its relationship to definitions of the individual art forms, with an eye to clarifying the issues separating dominant institutionalist and skeptical positions from non-skeptical, non-institutional ones. Section 2 indicates some of the key philosophical issues which intersect in discussions of the definition of art, and singles out some important areas of broad agreement and disagreement. Section 3 critically reviews some influential standard versions of inst…Read more
  •  303
    The definition of art
    Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2018.
    The definition of art is controversial in contemporary philosophy. Whether art can be defined has also been a matter of controversy. The philosophical usefulness of a definition of art has also been debated. Contemporary definitions can be classified with respect to the dimensions of art they emphasize. One distinctively modern, conventionalist, sort of definition focuses on art’s institutional features, emphasizing the way art changes over time, modern works that appear to break radically with …Read more
  •  257
    Demarcation, Definition, Art
    In An Anthology of Philosophical Studies - Volume 7. pp. 177-188. 2013.
    The question of how to demarcate science from pseudo-science commands relatively little attention today. In the philosophy of logic, by contrast, the problem of demarcating the logical constants is less skeptically regarded. In aesthetics, where the problem is how to demarcate art from non-art, the question as to whether the problem is a real one or a pseudo-problem also continues to be debated. This paper discusses the hypothesis that the demarcation questions in these three areas are parallel…Read more
  •  180
    Visual Music: Synaesthesia in Art and Music since 1900
    Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 64 (4): 488-489. 2006.
  •  158
    Something about Vagueness and Aesthetic Disagreement
    Proceedings of the European Society for Aesthetics 4 41-55. 2012.
    Vagueness has gotten some attention in aesthetics, but deserves more. Vagueness is universally acknowledged to be ubiquitous. It has played a substantive role in some recent writing on the definition of art. It has figured importantly in analyses of the concept of literature, and (in connection with a thought experiment of Arthur Danto’s), of the ontology of art. Vagueness was a locus of contention in a debate between Alan Goldman and Eddy Zemach about the reality of aesthetic properties. This p…Read more
  •  145
    On the cluster account of art
    British Journal of Aesthetics 43 (4): 379-385. 2003.
    The cluster account of art is a purportedly non-definitional account of art, inspired by Wittgenstein's notion of family resemblance, and recently defended by Berys Gaut. Gaut does not provide good reasons to think that art is not definable, and his approach to possible counterexamples to the cluster account would, applied consistently, preclude this. The cluster account's theory of error, its resources for accounting for borderline cases, and its heuristic usefulness are not impressive. Reasons…Read more
  •  59
    Examining the Exam
    with Don Fawkes and Steven Hoeltzel
    Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 20 (4): 19-33. 2001.
    This paper examines the content of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal exam (1980). Our report is not a statistical review. We find the content of this exam defective in a number of areas. The exam consists of five “tests” of 16 questions for a total of 80 questions. Of these, we cannot recommend test 1, test 2, test 4, and test 5; and, we cannot recommend questions 4, 5, 14, 16, 37, 45, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, and 67. As shown in this report, the exam creates confusion and makes basic err…Read more
  •  42
    Subjects and Objects: Art, Essentialism, and Abstraction: Book Reviews (review)
    British Journal of Aesthetics 48 (3): 356-357. 2008.
  •  41
    Artistic Judgment: A Framework for Philosophical Aesthetics
    British Journal of Aesthetics 51 (4): 453-456. 2011.
  •  25
    Examining the Exam
    with Don Fawkes and Dan Flage
    Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 21 (3): 31-46. 2003.
    This paper examines the content of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal exam. (1980) Our report is not a statistical review. We find the content of this exam defective in a number of areas. The exam consists of five “tests” of 16 questions for a total of 80 questions. Of these, we cannot recommend test 1, test 2, test 4, and test 5; and, we cannot recommend questions 4, 5, 14, 16,37, 45, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, and 67. As shown in this report, the exam creates confusion and makes basic erro…Read more
  •  20
    Examining the Exam
    with Don Fawkes and Dan Flage
    Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 21 (3): 31-46. 2003.
    This paper examines the content of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal exam. (1980) Our report is not a statistical review. We find the content of this exam defective in a number of areas. The exam consists of five “tests” of 16 questions for a total of 80 questions. Of these, we cannot recommend test 1, test 2, test 4, and test 5; and, we cannot recommend questions 4, 5, 14, 16,37, 45, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, and 67. As shown in this report, the exam creates confusion and makes basic erro…Read more
  •  12
    Examining the Exam
    with Don Fawkes and Steven Hoeltzel
    Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 20 (4): 19-33. 2001.
    This paper examines the content of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal exam (1980). Our report is not a statistical review. We find the content of this exam defective in a number of areas. The exam consists of five “tests” of 16 questions for a total of 80 questions. Of these, we cannot recommend test 1, test 2, test 4, and test 5; and, we cannot recommend questions 4, 5, 14, 16, 37, 45, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, and 67. As shown in this report, the exam creates confusion and makes basic err…Read more
  •  1
    A collection of interviews with influential theorists working in philosophy of logic. The questions: Why were you initially drawn to the philosophy of logic? What are your main contributions to the philosophy of logic? What is the proper role of philosophy of logic in relation to other disciplines, and to other branches of philosophy? What have been the most significant advances in the philosophy of logic? What are the most important open problems in philosophy of logic, and what are the prospe…Read more
  • Philosophy of Logic, 5 Questions (edited book)
    with Tracy Lupher
    Automatic Press. 2016.
    Philosophy of Logic: 5 Questions is a collection of interviews with some of the world's most influential and prominent scholars working on philosophy of logic. The questions: Why were you initially drawn to the philosophy of logic? What are your main contributions to the philosophy of logic? What is the proper role of philosophy of logic in relation to other disciplines, and to other branches of philosophy? What have been the most significant advances in the philosophy of logic? What are the mos…Read more