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Aesthetic Theory
A history of othering, experimentation, and mystery.
Pure cinema is about removing redundancy so that even the smallest detail serves a purpose in relation to the bigger picture.
Art isn't a side note in human history; it's the main text.
Music is part of the human experience, which is why some philosophers have written about it. Some had wacky ideas.
The strange case of cultured ultra-thief Stéphane Breitwieser — who claims “art is my drug” — has divided opinion. Is it Stendhal syndrome?
The idea is to study the thing itself — be it a work of literature, death, family, a car, a vaccine, or the hospital — without preconceived notions, trendy easy answers, or dogma imposed on it.
Gods and angels have been replaced with hi-tech extraterrestrials.
John Templeton Foundation
Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature's most unreliable narrators.
Unlock the paradoxes of life through poetic realism.
John Templeton Foundation
6mins
This scientist made an algorithm to predict which artists succeed — all without even looking at their art.
The double-slit experiment, hundreds of years after it was first performed, still holds the key mystery at the heart of quantum physics.
The multi-leveled constructions of metaphysics are the collective workings of a fantastical virtuality. Did you get that?
The utilitarian “greatest happiness principle” has remained popular for two centuries — is it time for a rethink?
Some classic books, like Mark Twain’s "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," remain controversial to this day.
For Nietzsche, a great work of art can either veil the horror of reality or – better yet – help us face it.
From the Palace of the Soviets to The Illinois, these unmade buildings would have taken the art of architecture to whole new heights.
In the West, discussions of 20th-century painting are dominated by Warhol and Picasso, but trendsetting artists are found everywhere.
Most popular songs are about love and heartache. But some great songs — albeit underrated and perhaps a bit weird — are about the cities we love.
Philosopher Slavoj Žižek argues that we often don't truly want to obtain what we think we desire.
Sight helps you see a room, but interoception lets you sense it from inside your own body.
We all see beauty the same way.
"Carpe diem" was only one part of Horace's poem Odes 1.11.
Climate activists' brand of iconoclasm is far removed from the Beeldenstorm that swept medieval Europe.
"Tristram Shandy" trolled its way to fame.
A conservator from the Rijksmuseum explains how they went about investigating whether the painting is a genuine Rembrandt.
Foster your own moments of mystery.
Studying neuroscience through art.
Nothing meaningful is done quickly.
"Salvator Mundi" sold for a record-breaking $450 million in 2017, but is it really as valuable as people were led to believe?
Modernism has lasted longer than any art movement since the Renaissance.