Testimony; Aesthetics and Otherwise

Testimony; aesthetic and otherwise

11th May 2012 - University of Nottingham

The workshop aims to address the debate over the value of testimony in aesthetics as well as the relationship between this debate and broader issues in epistemology and elsewhere. Questions to be addressed include: 

·         Is aesthetic testimony epistemically, or otherwise, deficient when compared to other forms of testimony or firsthand aesthetic experience?

·         How does the aesthetic testimony debate relate to the broader debate in epistemology over the nature and value of testimony?

·         What bearing does in empirical work in, for instance, social psychology have on the debate over testimony in aesthetics and elsewhere?

·         How does testimony in aesthetics relate to testimony in other areas, such as morality, where the value of testimony has been questioned?

Schedule

10.30-11.00:        Registration & coffee

11.00-12.30:        Jon Robson (Nottingham) “Norms of Belief and Norms of Assertion in Aesthetics”

12.30-1.15:          Lunch

1.15-2.45:            Paul Harris (Harvard) “Testimony and children's moral judgment”

2.45-3.00:            Tea

3.00-4.30:            Elizabeth Fricker (Oxford) “Unreliable Testimony”

4.30-6.00:            Robert Hopkins (Sheffield) “Norms of Use”

The workshop will take place in A19, Trent Building. To indicate your intention of attending or for further details please email Jon Robson [email protected].

We gratefully acknowledge support from the AHRC, the Analysis Trust and the British Society of Aesthetics.