| Abstract: | Professor Cua has presented a very illuminating analysis of moral attitudes and of the implications of such commitments for moral agents. While his paper is restricted to an explication of Confucian and Classical Taoist approaches to morality, it is obvious that the analysis he provides is equally applicable to Western traditions of morality. In this paper I would like to suggest that his account also serves as a useful model for elucidating certain problems in aesthetics. For the purpose of my analysis, I shall approach these problems in aesthetics from the perspective of a practicing critic who seeks to establish a reflective basis for his judgments. My discussion focuses on three issues: the distinction between ideal norm and ideal theme, the place of tradition and convention in the critic's practice, and the critic's appeal to paradigms. |
