ÆSTHETIC
As science of expression and general linguistic
BY
BENEDETTO CROCE
translated, from the Italian by
DOUGLAS AINSLIE
THE NOONDAY PRESS
A division of
FARRAR, STRAUS, AND COMPANY
1920
THE
ÆSTHETIC
IS DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR
TO THE MEMORY OF HIS PARENTS
PASQUALE AND LUISA SIPARI
AND OF HIS SISTER
MARIA
Benedetto Croce's Philosophy of the Spirit, in the English translationby Douglas Ainslie, consists of 4 volumes (which can be read separately):
1. Aesthetic as science of expression and general linguistic. (Thisis the second augmented edition. A first ed. is also available atProject Gutenberg.)
2. Philosophy of the practical: economic and ethic. (In preparation)
3. Logic as the science of the pure concept.
4. Theory and history of historiography. (In preparation)
Transcriber's note.
CONTENTS
EXTRACT FROM INTRODUCTION xix
NOTE BY THE TRANSLATOR xxv
AUTHOR'S PREFACE xxvii
I
THEORY OF ÆSTHETIC
I 1
INTUITION AND EXPRESSION
Intuitive knowledge—Its independence with respect to intellectualknowledge—Intuition and perception—Intuition and the conceptsof space and time—Intuition and sensation—Intuition andassociation—Intuition and representation—Intuition andexpression—Illusion as to their difference—Identity of intuition andexpression
II 12
INTUITION AND ART
Corollaries and explanations—Identity of art and intuitiveknowledge—No specific difference—No difference of intensity—Thedifference is extensive and empirical—Artistic genius—Content andform in Æsthetic—Criticism of the imitation of nature and of theartistic illusion—Criticism of art conceived as a fact of feeling,not a theoretical fact—Æsthetic appearance, and feeling—Criticism ofthe theory of æsthetic senses—Unity and indivisibility of the work ofart—Art as liberator
III 22
ART AND PHILOSOPHY
Inseparability of intellectual from intuitive knowledge—Criticismof the negations of this thesis—Art and science—Content and form:[Pg viii]another meaning—Prose and poetry—The relation of first and seconddegree—Non-existence of other forms of cognition—Historicity—Itsidentity with and difference from art—Historical criticism—Historicalscepticism—Philosophy as perfect science. The so-called naturalsciences, and their limits—The phenomenon and the noumenon
IV 32
HISTORICISM