The Aesthetic Appreciation of Animals and its Ethical Complexities: Restructuring our Aesthetic Relationships

Abstract

In the philosophy of aesthetics, the aesthetic appreciation of animals has not been given enough serious thought. Recent debates surround the problem of whether it is possible for us to aesthetically appreciate animals without neglecting our ethical responsibilities. The discussion is mostly centered on how we ought to appreciate the beauty of animals, or if it is possible to aesthetically appreciate animals in spite of the ethical questions that arise. There is a shift in the discussion when we move from talking about aesthetically appreciating artworks to appreciating the beauty of animals. Most philosophers argue that we can appreciate the beauty of animals in specific ways or under specific conditions, in order to achieve genuine or ethical aesthetic contemplation. Other philosophers argue that the problems raised for the aesthetic appreciation of animals are negligible, and that the ethical complexities do not impact how or whether we can contemplate the beauty of animals. My thesis is derived from the gap in the current, limited discussion. It seems as if the current debate on how we ought to contemplate the beauty of animals and if it is possible to do so misses a point that has not been addressed – why do these ethical questions arise? Not enough attention has been given to truly distinguish the nature of animals from the nature of other aesthetic objects like paintings and sculptures. I aim to bridge the gap by establishing that animals have inherent special-making features that set them apart from other aesthetic objects. I also establish that there are different types of subjects and objects in aesthetic appreciation that form specific “aesthetic relationships”. Each type of aesthetic relationship affects the way we aesthetically interact with animals, which determines what our obligations are as aesthetic appreciators. I ultimately propose that we need to reorganize our thoughts about the nature of animals as aesthetic objects and restructure our aesthetic relationships with them in order to understand how they can be aesthetically appreciated.