Abstract

Some traditional aesthetic views assume that behind the variated appearance of the different arts lies a common unifying nature.In this paper attention is directed mainly to what may be called “the asymmetries in the arts”. I point out that is directed mainly to what may be called “the asymmetries in the arts”. I point out that substantive asymmetries would undermine the possibility of a non-disjuntive aesthetics and explore some relevant asymmetries which generate scepticism whether a general answer may be given to the ontological question “what is art?". Finally I condider the basic theories on the ontological status of a work of art and argue that neither is able to account for the required multiple properties