To Seize upon the Applause of the Heart

The main argument for the network theory of aesthetic value is that it better explains the facts about aesthetic activity than does its rival, aesthetic hedonism. Aesthetic hedonism reduces aesthetic values to hedonic values, which naturally figure in practical reasons. That an item offers an agent pleasure is always reason for them to access the pleasure. Most philosophers add that aesthetic values are subject to a standard. On the best contemporary account, the standard is represented by an ideal aesthetic appreciator. An argument is given to explain why the standard represented by an ideal aesthetic appreciator is normative for all aesthetic agents. Finally, aesthetic hedonism befits a desire-based theory of value.