The Program in Cultures, Civilizations, and Ideas is pleased to announce an upcoming talk by
Berker Basmacı (PhD candidate) entitled: “Hegel’s Logic as a Method of Art Criticism.” There will be refreshments served. We look forward to seeing you there.
Date: Wednesday, February 19
Time: 12.30-13.30
Location: H 232
Abstract:
Hegel’s philosophy is often criticized for reducing concrete material processes to the abstract development of the concept, the central focus of his logic and metaphysics. However, a closer reading reveals that Hegel redefines conceptual universality as intrinsically shaped by its particular determinations and concrete instantiations. This revisionary approach becomes especially significant in his aesthetics, where he argues that artworks exemplify the freedom and infinity of the concept in a unique and paradigmatic way. In this talk, I will reconstruct Hegel’s theory of conceptuality and demonstrate how it offers a compelling framework for interpreting and evaluating different kinds of artworks. If the meaning of an artwork is understood as its universal, the artistic process must articulate this meaning by employing the medium-specific determinations of its form. In works with aesthetic value, the sensuous particularity of the artwork reveals an aspect of the universal content in a way that intellectual reflection would otherwise overlook.
Bio:
Berker Basmacı is a PhD candidate from the department of philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York. His areas of interest are aesthetics, Hegel Studies and Kant Studies.