Nonaesthetic Issues in the Philosophy of Art Art as a Social Realm

This study sets up a controversial position by arguing for a philosophy of art that is independent of aesthetic theory in any form. It reformulates the idea of art-world into the concept of a social realm, a philosophical structuring of the dimensions of significant subdivisions of our overall society. From this perspective it is possible to separate aesthetic from nonaesthetic elements of many issues (e.g., art forgery), to circumscribe the dimensions of certain social conflicts about art (e.g., whether it can be pornographic), to understand modern conflicts between artistic genius and social and moral standards, and to probe other arenas within the realm of art.