Aesthetics for Birds editor Alex King defends inclusive views of art in a new book, edited by Clifford Sosis of @whatisitliketobeaphilosopher.com

"Here’s an improbable claim that turns out to be true: there is plenty of boring art that is also good art, and, in more than a few fascinating instances, this art is good in part because it is boring." - philosophers John Gibson and Andreas Elpidorou aestheticsforbirds.com/2025/09/16/i...

First the Palme d'Or, now a pile of Oscars - including Best Picture! Wondering why there's all that buzz about Anora? A philosopher does a deep dive in this essay. aestheticsforbirds.com/2025/02/27/o...

For everyone bingeing the Oscar best movie noms: "We inhabit a cultural moment where sexual libertinism is fast becoming the norm...Anora tells a story about sex that challenges the character of our current sexual climate." aestheticsforbirds.com/2025/02/27/o...

One popular feminist approach to inclusive media is simple. Add more female characters. But there's an overlooked genre that capitalizes on an unintuitive route: creative works made primarily for women and primarily by women, but with no women in them.

Spotify and its bizarre, hyper-specific genres are rewriting how we understand music. Why? And should we bother fighting back?

Haus der Kunst ("House of Art") was erected by Hitler under Nazi Germany. Post-war, it was turned into a venue for modern and contemporary art, including figures like Ai Weiwei and Louise Bourgeois. Philosopher Gwen Bradford reflects. aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/11/07/g...

In an extensive and wide-ranging interview, the renowned philosopher portraitist Steve Pyke shares never-seen portraits, reminisces about his philosophers, and teases a third series! aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/09/24/s...

"The ballet Concerto Barocco, set to Johann Sebastian Bach's Double Violin Concerto, illustrates Balanchine’s comment that 'dancing is music made visible'." Univ of Notre Dame philosopher Barbara Montero talks about ballet aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/09/12/b...

A different take on Season 3 of The Bear: It's continuous with the rest of the show's examination of craftsmanship and hospitality. Review and discussion by philosopher Errol Lord (UPenn) aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/07/26/t...

Media scholar James MacDowell (a YouTuber himself!) argues that the literary category of autofiction is important for understanding personal narrative stories on YouTube - including the very influential videos by @contrapoints.bsky.social. aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/05/30/y...

In a never-before-seen handwritten letter, Quine explains what philosophy means to him. Plus, some cool outtakes from his portrait session with Steve Pyke. aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/05/27/q...

Tiki bar thoughts: "Yum!" "So fun!" "Um, how is this still a thing?" aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/05/17/t...

"As much as I like Adult Swim’s original programming, a nice chunk of it is... kinda bad." Film scholar Gianni Barchiesi looks at the chaotic pointlessness of the show "Frisky Dingo" and explains how it changes our understanding of the nature of storytelling. aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/05/09/e...

Artistic images pose a special problem for alt text*: How can you describe a visual artwork in 150 characters?? This raises interesting philosophical & artistic questions. Plus we offer some practical tips. *the textual description of online images, used by blind and visually impaired readers

This was such a good roundtable. Thanks @aestheticsforbirds.bsky.social !

We asked five scholars to reflect on, analyze, and think through "Cowboy Carter". Here's what they said. aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/04/18/f...

Scientific discoveries, instruments, and performances of experiments can "evoke unrivaled aesthetic responses in us." - Milena Ivanova (Cambridge), on the beauty of science aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/04/11/w...

"Countless lives inhabit us. I don’t know, when I think or feel, Who it is that thinks and feels. I am merely the place Where things are thought and felt." aestheticsforbirds.com/2024/03/14/j...

Two of my students contributed to this terrific roundtable. Check it out!!!!

I was lucky enough to get think deeply about internet ‘aesthetics’ & subcultures for this new roundtable, and it is now out! Definitely interesting to read all the responses, and I’m really glad there were some students on the panel! I wish I could written many more hundreds of words about this!

A recent @nytimes.com mag piece came for Gen Z's TikToks and internet aesthetics. Kids these days, they said. No subcultures, they said. No good can come of this, they said. We asked our Gen Z students and some young cusp-y faculty, and - shocker - the doom and gloom might be premature.

I agree with every bit of this, especially re: petit fours

Philosopher and baking enthusiast Christopher Bartel talks about his love-hate relationship with the Great British Bake-Off (er, the Great British Baking Show?).

In the mood for vintage comics? Check out philosopher Nic Bommarito discussing George Herriman's early 20th century Krazy Kat. #philsky (<- are people still doing that?)

‘Tis the season for year-end recommendations! So some of our staff are bringing you one thing that we experienced this year that’s worth telling others about. *Although not necessarily from this year! aestheticsforbirds.com/2023/12/30/a...

If art history exhibits biases, then so will art generators trained on it. That's what we should be wringing our hands about. So philosopher Milena Ivanova argues in our latest piece.

@aestheticsforbirds.bsky.social The lovely philosophy blog, Aesthetics for birds is now on Bluesky. aestheticsforbirds.com Philsky

Is AI art actually even art? If it is, could it ever be good art? AI questions our existing concepts of artistry, creativity, and the fundamental purpose of art. Perhaps it spells the end of art practices as we know them... or the beginning of new ones. aestheticsforbirds.com/2023/11/02/e...

Oh, us? Just entering our 1989 (Taylor's Version) era~~ 😻

You check a band's setlist before going to their show. Cool-you can leave early and beat the traffic because you don't care about the encore. Or grab merch during the boring new stuff... What's wrong with this picture? @jeremydavis.bsky.social discusses. aestheticsforbirds.com/2023/10/19/w...

Philosopher Ray Briggs (Stanford) discusses Aaron Feltman's introspective and allusive painting, "Self-Love and Sin, Gabrielle and Her Twin" aestheticsforbirds.com/2023/10/13/r...

Today on Aesthetics for Birds: Philosophy professor Antony Aumann reminisces about his childhood dream of becoming a superstar basketball player. And asks if that was a ridiculous thing to ever dream of in the first place.

"He told him everything. At least, he said he did – you know your father." --Philosopher Sean T Murphy discusses JD Salinger's quietly gut-wrenching short story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish"

From Ancient Greek mosaics to contemporary artists like Mel Bochner, how we illustrate philosophical ideas and theories. aestheticsforbirds.com/2023/09/07/h...

I guess we're going to be part of the great experiment? Here goes nothin