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Research Article

A Comparative Study of the Aesthetic viewpoint in John Dewey and Zhuangzi

So Jeong Park

Sogang Institute for East Asian Studies, Sogang University

Published: February 2008 · Vol. 27 No. 1 · pp. 229-261

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33334/sieas.2008..54.229

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Abstract

This essay discusses the common ground for aesthetic experience between Dewey and Zhuangzi. Both of them see art as something that is inseparable from everyday life even though it is fulfilled only through ceaseless effort that takes one beyond ordinary experiences. They also see art as a dynamic process rather than a static object not as an art product but as art work. Most of all, they regarded art as an ultimate stage in human life not just as the object of sensory-emotional knowledge. This, I believe, is an essential aspect of art that is missing from contemporary theories of art.
Keywords: ZhuangziDeweyNature/self-soExperienceArtAesthetic experience