Aesthetic qualities, aesthetic experience, aesthetic value*

The chapter, in determining the specialness of aesthetic qualities, discusses the views of a variety of authors regarding aesthetic quality with a critical approach in mind and opts for a realistic approach to it. The chapter extends the sphere of aesthetics/aesthetic qualities to other aspects like natural scenes, aspects of daily life, etc., rather than confining it to mere works of art (which, earlier had been the tradition). It comes out that the specialness of aesthetic qualities actually lies in the way in which the qualities interact with one another; accordingly, the properties that make something special and their base properties go together, creating an integrated view. Therefore, there does not exist a thing particular in itself that can be termed the hallmark of the aesthetic. On the whole, the chapter treats the notions of aesthetic quality and aesthetic experience and tries to dissolve the complexity by interconnecting the notions which come into being in our treatment of a work of art.