Aesthetics

Aesthetics (Greek: αισθητική; English: Aesthetic) is a sub-discipline of philosophy founded by the German philosopher Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten in 1750. It was initially defined as the science of sensory knowledge (Ästhetik). The Greek root 'aesthesis' means sensory perception, and its study covers aesthetic activities, philosophy of art, and the world of imagery. Baumgarten's concept of 'sensory science' emphasizes that sensory cognition grasps the completeness of relationships between things in a quasi-rational way. Meanwhile, the French scholar Charles Batteaux in 1746 first proposed a system of 'fine arts' covering poetry, painting, and other forms. Hegel limited aesthetics to the philosophy of fine art, while Kant established the independent status of aesthetic judgment in the Critique of Judgment.