58
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

On steering clear of creativity

Pages 91-102 | Published online: 03 Jan 2014
 

Abstract

Scepticism of creativity as a topic for philosophical aesthetics is posited. Arguments for this scepticism are adduced. The idea that ‘creativity’ denotes a process of which we can have knowledge is resisted. What sort of knowledge is sought here? Some seminal accounts of creativity are not theoretical but are themselves fine works of literary art. Coleridge's distinction between a psychological curiosity and poetic merit is invoked and, following Margaret Macdonald, psycho-physical problems are distinguished from questions of poetic, or more broadly, artistic merit. The concepts of aesthetics are claimed to be allied with the latter. Finally a suggestion is advanced that creativity is more a local character of some particular art, especially Romantic, rather than a universal feature of art as such.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.