This Master's thesis deals with a critique of popular music by the British conservative philosopher Roger Scruton. It is based on a premise that this critique is not purely aesthetic, as it is deeply rooted in Scruton's conception of art, culture, and man. The first part of the thesis, therefore, deals with this broader context, and its outcome is an explanation of the reasons why Scruton rejects popular music as an integral part of popular culture. The second part of the thesis focuses on Scruton's philosophy of music, in other words, on questions of musical aesthetics: what the ontological status of music is, what the nature of its meaning is, what its value is, and what its 'ethical power' is. The third part is devoted to the critique of popular music itself: first, the concept of popular music is clarified, and then the outputs of the two previous chapters are linked to fully grasp Scruton's condemnation of popular music. In the end, the thesis points to problematic aspects of Scruton's theory: it questions the adequacy of applying the model of evaluating classical music to the case of popular music.

The thesis focuses on Denis Dutton's cluster definition of art, its critique and possible defence in the context of evolutionary aesthetics. The main theme that accompanies the thesis is the connection between the evolutionary origins of art and its definition today. After an introductory presentation of evolutionary aesthetics' approaches to the search for the origin and definition of art, the central section is devoted to Dutton's cluster theory. This is presented from two perspectives - against the background of his understanding of the Darwinian-inspired concept of art, that is, based on natural and sexual selection, and against the background of Berys Gaut's original cluster theory. Dutton's theory has faced criticisms of the normative universalism that his evolutionary theory has the potential to set up, the subjectivity regarding antipathy to modern art, and the over-openness of the cluster. The thesis will attempt to evaluate the critique and to clarify whether Dutton succeeds in advocating a link between the origins of art and its modern definition. Keywords: Denis Dutton, evolutionary aesthetics, darwinism, adaptation, cluster theory, definition of art.

This study offers a comparative investigation into selected figurative and nonfigurative, monochromatic (and mainly monochromatic) artworks by Ad Reinhardt, Ultimate Painting nr 39 (1963), Yves Klein, Monochrome bleu (IKB 3) (1956) and The thin red line (1970) by Douglas Portway. The aim of this research is to examine the possible subjective, meaningful function of the seemingly objective artworks. The selected artworks represent the formalist tendency of the high-Modernist conception of art-as-art, or the artwork as an autonomous objective object. At first sight the objective artworks seem to refute the subjective intentions of the artists who present them as both an externalisation of subjective experience and as possibly meaningful to the viewer. The investigation into the possible subjectively meaningful artworks is guided by an Existential approach to the aesthetic experience, as proposed by Nietzche’s Dionysian and Apollonian concepts as well as Sartre’s conceptualisation of néantisation and the imagination respectively. Both philosophers describe aesthetic experience as a meeting between both subjective and objective elements of their philosophy. The experience of the aesthetic (in the artworks) ultimately leads to a subjective space within which the seemingly objective artworks function as a subjective platform on which the Existential search for meaning can be considered (and possibly relieved). / MA (History of Art), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study offers a comparative investigation into selected figurative and nonfigurative, monochromatic (and mainly monochromatic) artworks by Ad Reinhardt, Ultimate Painting nr 39 (1963), Yves Klein, Monochrome bleu (IKB 3) (1956) and The thin red line (1970) by Douglas Portway. The aim of this research is to examine the possible subjective, meaningful function of the seemingly objective artworks. The selected artworks represent the formalist tendency of the high-Modernist conception of art-as-art, or the artwork as an autonomous objective object. At first sight the objective artworks seem to refute the subjective intentions of the artists who present them as both an externalisation of subjective experience and as possibly meaningful to the viewer. The investigation into the possible subjectively meaningful artworks is guided by an Existential approach to the aesthetic experience, as proposed by Nietzche’s Dionysian and Apollonian concepts as well as Sartre’s conceptualisation of néantisation and the imagination respectively. Both philosophers describe aesthetic experience as a meeting between both subjective and objective elements of their philosophy. The experience of the aesthetic (in the artworks) ultimately leads to a subjective space within which the seemingly objective artworks function as a subjective platform on which the Existential search for meaning can be considered (and possibly relieved). / MA (History of Art), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Every reader will respond to and think in a different way about a book. They will have different interpretations of the book. It is not possible to say with scientific certainty in what way a reader will interpret a book. To address this issue, this study focuses on the reader response theory as explained by Iser and Jauss. However, the reader response theory is at present supported by research from the cognitive theory to narratology. This study attempts to understand how a reader reasons with regards to a certain text. A further aim is to understand why a specific reader will think about and interpret the text in the way he or she does. In this study the books 30 Nagte in Amsterdam (30 Nights in Amsterdam) by Etienne van Heerden and Swartskaap (Black Sheep) by Odette Schoeman is used to test the hypothesis. Qualitative research methods were used and the data was processed in different stages as is displayed in the addendum DVD. Cognitive theory wants to explain how the reader will respond to the book as a whole, characters, events and the places and spaces represented in the novel. In this study, it was found that a reader's response will always be influenced by his/her background. Readers use their background either to make sense of the book and the story it tells or to make sense of what has happened in their own lives in order to accept and understand it. On account of the results reached in the study it can be argued that readers should be taken into account when books are reviewed and discussed, because they are the ones that have to do the actual reading. Because of this finding, this study puts forward the suggestion that a review model is developed so that readers can make informed decisions as to which book will be best suited to them. / Thesis (M.A. (Afrikaans and Dutch))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

<p>Предмет истраживања је проблематизација естетике у филозофији немачког идеализма. Процес те проблематизације укључује кључне естетичке појмове најважнијих представника филозофије немачког идеализма, као и њихов међусобни однос према тој теми. Ток тематизације естетике у филозофији немачког идеализма би се у укратко могао представити и следећом скицом: Кантова филозофија покушава да унесе појам у сферу чулности и лепоте преко два хоризонта: теоријског, у оквиру трансценденталне естетике, и естетичког, у оквиру тематизације моћи суђења. Тај појам се, ипак, у Кантовој филозофији уноси само као форма и оквир, чиме се губи и живот појма и естетски садржај, који се том приликом испушта. Шилер разуме потребу да се естетски садржај сачува, али у њега уноси појам без правог оквира, будући да је потреба за синтетичким мишљењем још увек на ступњу осећаја да је оно потребно, али не и конституисано према принципима нужности. Проблематизација естетике у филозофији немачког идеализма се у случају Фихтеа мора фокусирати на тумачење оног прећутаног, као и на расветљавање ретких експлицитних теза о естетици у Фихтеовој филозофији. Шелинг брижљиво чува естетски садржај, испуштајући из вида појам, чиме се из филозофије уметности филозофија готово уклања на уштрб уметности, која у једној фази Шелингове филозофије заузима централну позицију. Напослетку, Хегел разуме комплексност форме и живота појма, као и релевантност естетског садржаја, чиме се подручје чулног, лепог и уметничког позиционира као филозофска тема, којој се приступа појмовно. Естетика постаје филозофском дисциплином у пуном смислу, појмовно обухватајући естетски садржај. На тај начин, видљиво је да је право конституисање естетике као филозофске дисциплине у пуном смислу на делу тек у филозофији немачког идеализмa.</p> / <p>Predmet istraživanja je problematizacija estetike u filozofiji nemačkog idealizma. Proces te problematizacije uključuje ključne estetičke pojmove najvažnijih predstavnika filozofije nemačkog idealizma, kao i njihov međusobni odnos prema toj temi. Tok tematizacije estetike u filozofiji nemačkog idealizma bi se u ukratko mogao predstaviti i sledećom skicom: Kantova filozofija pokušava da unese pojam u sferu čulnosti i lepote preko dva horizonta: teorijskog, u okviru transcendentalne estetike, i estetičkog, u okviru tematizacije moći suđenja. Taj pojam se, ipak, u Kantovoj filozofiji unosi samo kao forma i okvir, čime se gubi i život pojma i estetski sadržaj, koji se tom prilikom ispušta. Šiler razume potrebu da se estetski sadržaj sačuva, ali u njega unosi pojam bez pravog okvira, budući da je potreba za sintetičkim mišljenjem još uvek na stupnju osećaja da je ono potrebno, ali ne i konstituisano prema principima nužnosti. Problematizacija estetike u filozofiji nemačkog idealizma se u slučaju Fihtea mora fokusirati na tumačenje onog prećutanog, kao i na rasvetljavanje retkih eksplicitnih teza o estetici u Fihteovoj filozofiji. Šeling brižljivo čuva estetski sadržaj, ispuštajući iz vida pojam, čime se iz filozofije umetnosti filozofija gotovo uklanja na uštrb umetnosti, koja u jednoj fazi Šelingove filozofije zauzima centralnu poziciju. Naposletku, Hegel razume kompleksnost forme i života pojma, kao i relevantnost estetskog sadržaja, čime se područje čulnog, lepog i umetničkog pozicionira kao filozofska tema, kojoj se pristupa pojmovno. Estetika postaje filozofskom disciplinom u punom smislu, pojmovno obuhvatajući estetski sadržaj. Na taj način, vidljivo je da je pravo konstituisanje estetike kao filozofske discipline u punom smislu na delu tek u filozofiji nemačkog idealizma.</p>

Key words: dance - body - corporeality - dance aesthetics - aesthetic experience - phenomenology - Maxine Sheets-Johnstone - contemporary dance Abstact: Dance's various forms and appearances are connected through one universal aspect - the presence of corporeality as represented by the moving human body. The role and the experience of body is essential for the description of dance even in its aesthetical and philosophical interpretation. First of all, this diploma theses aims to map the field of aesthetics and philosophy of dance from wider historical perspective and consequently to find support in dance basic division and its connected experiences in practice of inner ecstatic immersion. Furthermore, the focus is also given to the type of experience that is subordinated to visual effect of dance. This foundation is further elaborated in second part of this thesis, which discusses dance experience in its aesthetic dimension through context of phenomenological philosophy in thinking of Maxine Sheets-Johnstone. This concept of dance reveals other important qualities in dance as an art. In addition, it shows one of novel approaches to corporeality in the aesthetic experience of dance, which could built on the dichotomous differentiation of the dance experience and open new perspectives on the aesthetic...

Every reader will respond to and think in a different way about a book. They will have different interpretations of the book. It is not possible to say with scientific certainty in what way a reader will interpret a book. To address this issue, this study focuses on the reader response theory as explained by Iser and Jauss. However, the reader response theory is at present supported by research from the cognitive theory to narratology. This study attempts to understand how a reader reasons with regards to a certain text. A further aim is to understand why a specific reader will think about and interpret the text in the way he or she does. In this study the books 30 Nagte in Amsterdam (30 Nights in Amsterdam) by Etienne van Heerden and Swartskaap (Black Sheep) by Odette Schoeman is used to test the hypothesis. Qualitative research methods were used and the data was processed in different stages as is displayed in the addendum DVD. Cognitive theory wants to explain how the reader will respond to the book as a whole, characters, events and the places and spaces represented in the novel. In this study, it was found that a reader's response will always be influenced by his/her background. Readers use their background either to make sense of the book and the story it tells or to make sense of what has happened in their own lives in order to accept and understand it. On account of the results reached in the study it can be argued that readers should be taken into account when books are reviewed and discussed, because they are the ones that have to do the actual reading. Because of this finding, this study puts forward the suggestion that a review model is developed so that readers can make informed decisions as to which book will be best suited to them. / Thesis (M.A. (Afrikaans and Dutch))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

PETR POLA : PROLEGOMENA TO PROBLEMATICS OF SOLITUDE Dissertation abstract The aim of the dissertation entitled Prolegomena to Problematics of Solitude is to introduce solitude as an existential characteristic, explore ways of its surpassing and articulate its relationship to experience of art. The issue of solitude represents for us a possible way to understand modern existence. First we examine the problem of solitude as an problem of isolated existence and formulate the question of its origin. The resolution of existential loneliness and solitude of being come to grasp the possibility of a relationship between isolation and solitude of being as sovereignty of being. Existential solitude means to effacer the relation of one who exists to oneself, which is a precondition for its existence. Finally we formulate a relationship between existential solitude and essential solitude, which is the paradigm for the experience of art especially for M. Blanchot. Deepening the problematics of existential solitude also enables to formulate the basis for discussions on the concept of subjectivity, which recently been revived.

Author: Štěpán Kubalík Supervisor: doc. Tomáš Kulka, Ph.D. Sibley's "Aesthetic Concepts" and Kendall L. Walton's "Categories of Art". Sibley's