When we are called on to characterise and respond to what human beings seem to be seeking in their actions\, we become engaged in domains in which art and the fabric of practical life seem more continuous then discontinuous. In art and in life\, matters of tone and diction and other features of display are not added to some core expression but constitute the expressive force of an action. And responding to those expressive forces calls for practices of atunement\, participation\, appreciation\, and valuing\, all as ways of seeing into what is displayed in the particular situation. I want to make the case that Wittgenstein&rsquo\;s limiting knowledge claims to what we can doubt makes a significant contribution to aesthetics. Because many of our practices do not involve matters of knowing\, or\, indeed\, of guessing\, they rely on modes of responsiveness learned in conjunction with our learning a language. So the arts can be projected as calling for reflection on what is displayed in these practices.
\nProfessor Altieri is the Rachel Stageberg Anderson Chair in the Department of English at the University of California\, Berkeley. His interests span across literature and philosophy by way of Shakespeare\, Hegel\, Wittgenstein\, Wallace Stevens\, the varieties of Twentieth Century American poetry in relation to philosophy and the visual arts.
\nThe event is complimentary\, but registration is required. Please email bws@herts.ac.uk
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