Four Essays on Aesthetics - Annotated by Zehou Li & Jane Cauvel (Paperback)

About the Book

Available for the first time in English, Li Zehou's philosophical aesthetics interpret the historical origins and evolution of aesthetic experience and their significance to the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth of human beings. Although LI's ideas have been debate...

Book Synopsis

A classic in Chinese Philosophy of Aesthetics for the last twenty years, Li Zehou's Four Essays on Aesthetics (Meixue-sijiang) is finally translated in English to bring philosophical insight to Western readers. Li's seminal work focuses on the widely debated philosophies in China concerning the origins, manifestations, importance, and transformative power of beauty, art, and aesthetic experiences. Drawing upon the influences of both Eastern and Western philosophers and writers, Li discusses the origination of the practices of beauty and aesthetics, and the origins of art credited to Shamanistic rituals, while rejecting the concepts of Western aesthetics and embracing the traditional Chinese purpose for art: to mold human minds. He stresses the importance of the involvement of aesthetic philosophers to advocate technology and aspects of society that will contribute to the harmony among individuals, environments, and social relationships.

About the Author

Jane Cauvel is professor emerita at The Colorado College. Li Zehou is widely regarded as ChinaOs leading scholar of traditional and modern intellectual history and philosophy. Placed under house arrest for three years in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Massacre, he was granted permanent resident status in the United States in 1991.