Considering the number of typos in the English words as well, neither the editor nor publisher paid very much attention or cared very much at all. The work is valued for its systematic approach to aesthetic philosophy, beginning with a critical survey of earlier attempts to define art and ending with a clear and forceful presentation of an expressionist theory centering on the notion of the communication of emotion from artist to audience. Please try again. "Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the … Leo Tolstoy (September 9, 1828–November 10, 1910) began tussling with the grandest questions of existence from an early age. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. With his greatest works behind him, he found his sense of purpose dwindling as his celebrity and public acclaim billowed, sinking into a state of deep depression and melancholia despite having a large estate, good health for his age, a wife who had born him … The clearness of expression assists infection, because the receiver, who mingles in consciousness with the author, is the better satisfied the more clearly the feeling is transmitted, which, as it seems to him, he has long known and felt, and for which he has only now found expression. I think Popper felt excluded to some extent. In sympathy lie the roots of all moral behavior, and consequently, for Tolstoy, art is the engine of the good society.  “[It] is a means of union among men,” he writes, “joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress towards well-being of individuals and of humanity.”  Of course, as we’ve just seen, art also has the power to do the opposite, which is why Tolstoy is so concerned with saying not just what art is, but what makes art good or bad. Join the discussion! Art is a human activity, consisting in this, that one man consciously, by means of certain external signs, hands on to others feelings he has lived through, and that other people are infected by these feelings, and also experience them. I don’t really know much about his personal relationships but I do know that there was a lot of tension between him and various members of the Vienna Circle. And this could be one of the single stupidest things ever uttered by a philosopher. We are interested in theories and how they stand up to critical discussion…”. For those who are interested in the incident, a book was written about it not long ago. Yes, Tolstoy thinks art is that important. And these are definitely questions that are not satisfied by easy answers. For Tolstoy, art is a means of communication which allows man to feel the same emotions of the artist who expressed them. Many of the German words are misspelled to the point of being unintelligible. Often enough works of art are misunderstood by audiences and loved all the same for an alternative meaning which can be taken from them. Writing is wonderful- Editor made countless typos, Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2015. Tolstoy believed that the purpose of art was to convey the emotions felt by the artist. And what he sees and reads is not pretty.  It is unlikely that the Nazis could have so effectively convinced their population to accept and even participate in the destruction of their Jewish fellow citizens and neighbors, for example, without tabloids like Der Sturmer, which pumped a steady stream of anti-Semitic caricatures into the public consciousness. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. As for your last question, Tolstoy certainly thinks that aesthetic values are always in the service of — instrumental to — emotional ones. ‘What is?’ or ‘What are?’ questions I regard as pseudo-questions; they do not all seem to be so pseudo, but I do think they all are pseudo-questions. Tolstoy also judges the art of his time mostly corrupted and risks some comments about the “art of the future”. For guidelines, check out the "submissions" page. I got the Kindle version, so buy the physical book if you want it typo-free. Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this Leo Tolstoy study guide. Leo Tolstoy's ability to capture the true essence and meaning of art is so worth having this book. In this Eastern Slavic name, the patronymic is Nikolayevich and the family name is Tolstoy. Aside from his famous literary works (War and Peace, Anna Karenina) he wrote on God, Theology, the Church, Non Violence and Anarchy. Presents Tolstoy's views on the philosophy of art, A Confession and Other Religious Writings (Penguin Classics), Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics (Penguin Classics), The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories (Vintage Classics), The Cossacks and Other Stories (Penguin Classics), The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Third Edition, The Making of Prince of Persia: Journals 1985-1993--Illustrated Edition, A Project to Find the Fundamental Theory of Physics, Laws of UX: Using Psychology to Design Better Products & Services. In reality philosopher's and artists define as beauty what pleases a certain portion of society. Unlike many works of aesthetics which tend to be overly abstract and dense, using technical terms from philosophy and a layering of sophisticated concepts, What is Art by Leo Tolstoy is as clear as clear can be, using language and ideas anybody can understand. Only the irrational knowledge of faith can provide life's meaning. Leo Tolstoy (1828 - 1910) was a Russian Philosopher, Novelist, Socialist and Activist. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Given this definition of ‘religious’, it follows that our religious feelings are our best feelings, as they are our feelings about what would constitute our own betterment and ultimately, our perfection (regardless of whether it is possible to achieve).  And since art’s role is to communicate our feelings and evoke those feelings in others, our best art is going to be that which expresses our best, noblest feelings, which are, as we’ve just seen, what Tolstoy calls “religious.”. This little book is a jewel. Interesting how this model would fit in with modern advertising – quite aside from the politics of aestheticization. Oscillating between skepticism and dogmatism, he explored the most diverse … “The whole paragraph, frankly, is surprising for its smug glibness…”. One should always keep away from discussing concepts. In the context of the OP (and Tolstoy’s question) I thought these remarks of Popper’s were interesting (and amusing). 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