Theories, frameworks and aesthetics. Comment on 'From everyday emotions to aesthetic emotions: Towards a unified theory of musical emotions' by Patrik Juslin.

摘要

There is much to admire in Patrik Juslin’s winding article [1], so one is hesitant to dwell on a few shortcomings. Juslin has taken on the ambitious task of bringing “aesthetic” emotions into his previous work on music-related affect. However, there are a number of philosophical issues that are dealt with hastily. For philosophers, the article often conflates normative and prescriptive arguments. For example, in the conclusion: “contrary to Hanslick, listeners do regard emotional arousal as an important criterion for the aesthetic value of music.” Hanslick was not arguing about what people think. The fact that lots of people think emotional arousal is important doesn’t make it so. For most philosophers, one cannot take a vote on aesthetic values, any more than one can take a vote on Truth.