CFP: Art Rules: Aesthetic Reasons, Norms and Standards -- A Conference on Aesthetic Normativity

Aesthetic and artistic normativity pertains to what’s good or bad in beauty and art. They speak to what makes something—or someone—beautiful or ugly. We are seeing a renewed attention to these issues by philosophers of art and aesthetics. The goal of this conference is to discuss and assess directions for research.

Papers may consider the following questions, but are by no means limited to them:
- How binding are aesthetic reasons? Are they universal? Partial?
- Is aesthetic or artistic value ideal or non-ideal?
- What is the relationship between aesthetic/artistic taste and love?
- Are there general principles or standards of artistic or aesthetic value?
- How do norms of art and beauty interact with issues of gender, race, and class?
- How do normative issues play out in particular artforms or aesthetic domains?
- Are there any artistic or aesthetic obligations? Does an artist have obligations to an artistic community, tradition, or audience? Does an audience have a duty to appreciate certain kinds of art?

Submission deadline: February 1, 2017. Papers must be 3,000 words or less (not including footnotes), accompanied by a 200 word abstract, and prepared for blind review. Please send submissions and questions to . We especially welcome submissions from historically under-represented groups and minorities. We aim to foster a diverse conference, consistent with the aims of the Gendered Conference Campaign. Each person whose paper is accepted will receive up to $650 to cover travel and hotel costs. We hope to provide decisions by February 25.
The conference is free and open to the public; pre-registration is required. Pre-register at the conference website: .