Abstract
Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky (Виссарион Григорьевич Белинский) is a figure from the history of philosophy who incredibly few contemporary scholars are likely to have heard of. In fact, a member of a Western philosophy department is unlikely to be familiar with a single Russian philosopher. Belinsky was a seminal figure in Russian nineteenth century philosophy who exerted influence over the intelligentsia, the artworld and politics. Despite his importance in the history of philosophy, only a handful of scholars have engaged with his work since the 1970s. This project represents the most extensive study on Belinsky’s philosophy of art since 1974, and the lengthiest piece of philosophical writing on Belinsky from the twenty-first century.This project provides detailed exposition on Belinsky’s aesthetics and draws Belinsky’s theory into conversation with both contemporary scholarship and his chief influence, G.W.F. Hegel. The motivation behind this blended approach, which draws on contemporary and historical theories, was the need to provide a gateway into Belinsky’s philosophy and to make it accessible to those unfamiliar with his work. Further, the similarities between the philosophical questions that Belinsky sought to answer and those that preoccupy the contemporary field highlight that whilst Belinsky’s philosophy is distinctive, it is not alien from contemporary interests. Belinsky’s relationship with Hegel is complex and dynamic, and Belinsky’s theory is best described as a unique breed of Idealism and a heterodox form of Hegelianism. In contemporary lexis, we would call Belinsky’s theory moralist and cognitivist, in so far as Belinsky held that a moral demerit in a work is necessarily an aesthetic demerit, and that artworks can reveal and track truths. I develop comparisons between Belinsky’s work and contemporary moralist and cognitivist philosophers of art throughout the thesis.
The thesis introduces Belinsky’s broad philosophical commitments and philosophical context before turning to Belinsky’s philosophy of art. Each chapter deals with one distinctive aspect of Belinsky’s philosophy of art. Chapter I looks at the foundational claim of Belinsky’s aesthetics, which is that art must be a representation of reality in all its fidelity. The influence of Hegel is examined in detail, and then the core concepts that underpin Belinsky’s theory are discussed: reality, truth, and poetic intuition. Chapter II expounds on the relationship between art and ethics in Belinsky’s theory. Belinsky’s belief that artworks must manifest morally ameliorative attitudes is contrasted with theories from the contemporary debate on art and ethics. Chapter III builds on the previous chapters to unpack Belinsky’s claim that art is a form of thought. This chapter looks at the distinctive relationship Belinsky identifies between art and philosophy, as well as at contemporary theories that share Belinsky’s intuition that art can cultivate understanding. I conclude by identifying some further areas of research relating to Belinsky’s philosophy of art, which I hope to pursue going forward.
| Date of Award | 1 Mar 2022 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Sacha Golob (Supervisor) & John Callanan (Supervisor) |