Chapter 1

Introduction

The thesis aims to determine whether Aesthetic Realism is a viable and meaningful

philosophy that could serve as a turning point towards addressing the problem of indifferences

and dualities. It also desires to pick a topic that would be socially significant since what we aim

for is to understand common social problems that we are still currently facing. In connection to

this, the study is able to recognize works of art, music in particular, as a sufficient medium for

the philosophy to expound its values and principles essentially in analyzing selected songs

produced by the Filipino band famously known as Asin.

This chapter explains the purpose and significance of the thesis to society and to

literature, the philosophy that is being used. It is also the part of the thesis that presents

expressions and terms that are commonly used by philosophers of art and aesthetics. For this

portion, I shall explain what makes Aesthetic Realism important to discuss especially when it

concerns the field of art and aesthetics. The core principles of the philosophy will also be

scrutinized and questions as to why the philosophy was chosen amongst several theories and

ideas will be discussed.

We may find various theories and ideas to apply on the issue of dichotomies. However, I

wish to make use of the philosophy of Aesthetic Realism, as it was presumed to be a meaningful

platform for addressing certain social problems. This philosophy aims to prove that indifferences

and oppositions can be laid into one coherent convergence of beliefs and ideas.

Aesthetic Realism advocates that having contempt is the greatest sin a person can have,

so one must liberate himself from being a victim of it. The art of music will be examined because

it will serve as the mode for the philosophy to assert its values and principles. The philosophy

should take a form that is closest to our reality, and I believe that it can be found in art; thus,

generating a thought that any successful work of art can be a source of beauty and fairness which

the philosophy is trying to accomplish.

The thesis would tackle the issue of prejudice and discrimination in view of the fact that

this particular outlook in life causes destructive differences that would eventually results into an

unwanted ideology which is racism. In order for us to grasp its complete notion, it is important to

tackle foremost its cause and effect. We should be able to identify what is the common source of

racism and where does it lead to. Humans are endowed with rationality more than any other

being in this world. They can freely think and believe what they judge as necessary all for them

to survive and adapt. It is the reason why there were several conflicts involving two differing

identities, and a good example for that is Racism. It is a struggle of two groups, wherein one

looks upon the other as inferior. Racism, according to Anup Shah, is the belief that

characteristics and abilities can be credited to people on the simple basis of their race, and that

some racial groups are superior to others (2010). The discussion would also bring us to local

problem such as the struggle of our Muslim brothers on their plight against prejudice and

discrimination on the basis of religion and principles.

In the second chapter, the thesis would cite an example and attempt to observe the

conflict between two factions especially relating to the struggle of Muslims in Mindanao against

the government. The paper would also try to prove that Aesthetic Realism can be a source of

reconciliation between the two identities. It is not to say that the philosophy is the ultimate

answer to end the struggle, instead, it seeks to enlighten its subjects to refrain from nonsense

oppositions and come up with compromise or settlement for the betterment of the country.

At this point, the people involved in conflicts can look at the possibility that Aesthetic

Realism might be a meaningful instrument for them to use on their constituents and lead to

gradual decrease of the number of hostilities especially pertains to the struggle that involves

warfare.

The third chapter will be the methodology used in the analysis. It will bring us to the

discussion on the use of music mainly in the form of a song to expound the principles of

Aesthetic Realism. The fourth chapter is the application or analysis of songs which is taken from

the works of Asin, which are presented as ideal examples. In order to do that, we shall first

discuss the four common classical theories of art such as: taste, beauty, emotion, and cognition.

By this, the thesis wishes to lessen the ambiguity why the art was chosen to be the representative

of Aesthetic Realism to manifest. The chapters will also include interpretations of songs created

and performed by the artists. With the presentation of these examples of songs, it will aid our

understanding why the aforementioned philosophy is attainable and achievable.

A work of art can be of any various forms. It can be heard as a song, seen as a statue or

painting, or viewed as a film. The impact of an art can be derived depending upon the reactions

of its audiences. A good art has to send a message. It seeks to reconcile destructive differences.

Therefore, we seek a great work of art that has a remarkable impact on the society especially

against prejudice and discrimination.

The fifth chapter is an essential part of the thesis for it discusses criticisms and possible

objections to Aesthetic realism as deemed by the thesis. It tackles the complications of aesthetic

experiences as presumed to vary from person to person which would eventually lead to the idea

that the said philosophy is only a matter of subjectivism. Moreover, this chapter also clarifies

that aesthetic judgment should not be mistaken for moral judgment. For it appears that the thesis

opt not to separate both concepts.

The last chapter will be the generalization or conclusion of the thesis. For this part, the

thesis recommends that attaining an optimistic view of the world is what we should aim for. The

philosophy of Aesthetic Realism does not claim that this kind of hopeful view towards the world

is the ultimate answer to problems; rather, it just presents an alternative choice in addressing

binary opposites particularly societal troubles just like racism.

Aesthetic Realism in the Context of Asin’s Music

by:

Jan Erwin F. Bulang

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to examine the philosophy of Aesthetic Realism as a meaningful vessel for addressing dichotomous communal problem like prejudice and discrimination. It also seeks to provide an alternative approach, an attitude, or a viewpoint towards resolving issues like racism that is basically a pressing problem all throughout the world.

As for the method of scrutinizing, this thesis aims to tackle the cultural identity of aesthetics as well as classic theories of art such as: taste, beauty, emotion, and cognition – in order to appreciate the essence of an artwork. The form of art that will be examined will be coming from successful and meaningful songs taken from the hits of a Filipino folk rock band Asin. It serves to prove that music as an art could be a significant vessel for the Aesthetic Realism to elucidate its philosophy. Moreover, a fresh interpretation Aesthetics and the Art, should enrich its literature

In conclusion, Aesthetic Realism ought to provide us with an outlook towards life; a certain philosophy that deals with Aesthetics and the Art, and undertakes to address societal issues that made us opposites of what we should not have become.

Bibliography:

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Siegel, Eli (1968) James and the Children: A consideration of Henry James Turn of the Screw.

Shah, Anup (2010) Racism. Last updated Sunday. (accessed on March 1, 2015) http://www.globalissues.org/article/165/racism

Ruckstuhl, F. Wellington (1917) Idealism and Realism in Art. The Art World, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Jan., 1917), pp. 252-256.

Cox, Edward G. (1919) Realism Pure and Applied. The Sewanee Review,Vol. 27, No. 4 (Oct., 1919), pp. 438-459 published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press

Marshall, Henry Rutgers (1905) The Relation of Aesthetics to Psychology and Philosophy. The Philosophical Review, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan., 1905), pp. 1-20 published by: Duke University Press

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Vials, Chris (2009) Realism for the Masses: Aesthetics, Popular Front Pluralism, and U.S. Culture, 1935-1947. University Press of Mississsippi/ Jackson

Edie, James M. (1964) The Primacy of Perception: And other Essays on Phenomenological Psychology, the Philosophy of Art, History and Politics. Published by: Northwestern University Press

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Amaladass, Anand (1996). “Practice and Theology of Interreligious Dialogue. A Critical Study of the Indian Christian Attempts since Vatican II”. Published by: Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

D.W. Gotshalk, Art and the Social Order (NY: Dover Publications, 1962) p. 99.

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Graham, G. (n.d.). Philosophy of the Arts (3rd ed., pp. 1-52). Routledge.

Chapter 2

Aesthetic Realism and Racism

Aesthetic realism, in its strict sense, is an inclusive point of view that does not only

involve the discussion about Aesthetics and Art but also the concept of binary oppositions. In

Sociology, linguistics, and anthropology, binary opposition is a key concept that asserts human

state of affairs can only be understood in relation to one another and how they mean within a

larger existing system or the totality of environment. In cultural studies, we often encounter these

oppositions when exploring the relationship between groups of people, for example: bourgeoisie

and proletariats, white and colored, or disabled and non-disabled; in which, one term seems to be

“privileged” or more highly valued than the other (Marinaro, 2007). On the surface, these

oppositions seem to be just labels, but what makes them binary opposites is the idea that they

cannot co-exist. However, what we are after is to reconcile these differences using the

philosophy of Aesthetic realism, and its attempt to use art as a major force in addressing binary

oppositions. From here, let us first examine the notion of racial prejudice as it best holds the idea

of being binary opposites.

Prejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice and discrimination are not new. We often encounter these terms in all levels of

society, such as, in government, legislation, education, and even in our neighborhoods. If we try

to look back on our past endeavors, in general, a nation’s over emphasis on patriotism oftentimes

resulted into a false idealization that creates biases and discriminations especially to those who

are in minority in terms of racial and ethnic groups. This soon broadens to other dimensions of

differences, including, disability, gender, and religion.

Prejudice and discrimination concerning race and ethnicities have always had

psychological effects, and it continues most of the time in unnoticed situations. Disparities and

biases are still prevalent in most societies and this results in the inequity of resources,

opportunities, and injustices; this is common in developing countries just like in the Philippines

where the bulk of resources, most of the time, are only distributed to favored regions or districts.

There have been so many ways to combat these injustices and biases, and these warrant

some different approaches. The advent of technological advances in travel, the internet,

communication, news and information, and social media from all parts of the world can be

directly brought to us. But what we need to understand is to first identify the grassroots of racial

prejudice.

Racial prejudice, defined as a privately held position, the assertion of derogatory verbal

statements, or expressed as overtly publicly observable action, stems as a form of human

behavior (Barker, 2003). When we go back to the theory of Locke’s tabula rasa, the idea is that

all persons are born with a mind that is seem to be empty or as a blank slate, upon which our

experiences will mark as our knowledge. Moreover, he argued that all persons are born innately

good, independent, and equal (Locke, 1975). Ironically, assuming that this theory holds to be

true, it is very disturbing to find that racial prejudice is very common even in children who seem

to have the slightest understanding of sensitivity and fairness.

Prejudice is defined as “an opinion about an individual, group or phenomenon that is

developed without proof or systematic evidence. It can become more unfavorable if the

prejudgment may become more institutionalized in the appearance of country’s laws or customs”

(Barker, 2003, p.372). Racism, is a form of discrimination, “stereotyping and generalizing about

people or ethnic minority group, usually negative, because of their race, commonly a

fundamental source of discrimination against member of racial groups” (Barker, 2003, p.397).

Likewise, the form of discrimination can also be extended towards class struggles, spirituality,

and ethnicity. The actions that were mentioned above – opinions, laws, customs, stereotyping,

and generalizing – are all examples of behaviors which were defined by psychologist B.F.

Skinner as everything that human does, whatever the public observations potentiality (1974).

Behavior analysis is solely based upon the applicability of principles, particularly the

empirical approach, to the understanding and control of our socially important behavior.

Prejudice and discrimination as discussed previously, stems out from our behavior and

understanding of our environment. Hence, what are we actually after is to look for a meaningful

approach, in which we sought answers in addressing racial prejudices and discriminations in the

light of Aesthetic Realism. However, it is apt to first lay the grounds of our understanding about

cultures and aesthetics which goes hand in hand.

Cultural Identity and Aesthetics

By definition, Aesthetics is the philosophical study of our aesthetic experiences,

involving studies of aesthetic objects, of the bodily disposition and mental faculties that allows

us to have such experiences, and also to study a language that used to express and convey these

experiences (Floistad, 2005). However, this western definition of aesthetics is not the focus of

this examination. According to Guttorm Floistad, the primary focus in Arab, African and Asian

aesthetics and moreover Latin-American philosophy, is rather different: they suppose that the

most significant function of aesthetic experiences lies in its outcome on the recipient and

especially their contribution to communal values. The liberation of the individual from his

contempt and selfishness stems from the growing culture of media, technology, money, and

consumption that eventually lead to moral justification and enlightenment. For instance, certain

aesthetic experiences found in India are introduced as religious experience. In Arab countries,

the artistic writings of the Arab languages serve to be an image of Allah: which according to

their Holy book Qur’an is a reminder of the revelations. Lastly, in Africa, art is demonstrated as

tribal and an essential requisite for strengthening social ties. The art therefore particularly chants

and hymns have a variety of forms, functions as a major contribution to the society’s cultural

identity (Floistad, 2005).

Cultural identity, by definition, is a system of belongingness to a group of people, their

beliefs, customs, and manners, also their history and geographical location. Belonging, on the

other hand, means being part of, caring for and paying respect to/with (Tice, 1999). Both

concepts are part of core values especially in ethical considerations. In simple words, they are

communal values. Aesthetic objects are historically and culturally identified. Even nature and

natural objects may vary – although the forms or the beauty of the various objects may be

arranged trans-culturally. In a sense, no culture is culturally pure. For example, the Filipino

language adopted words from Spanish, Mexican, and American languages. Whether we viewed

culture as absolutely original or not, we would still fall on the underlying notion that cultures

embraces other culture’s practices. Art and religion are crucial elements especially in the shaping

of people’s cultural identity:

”Religion and art go together almost in all cultures. Religion uses music in rituals and

liturgies and develops architecture to suit their liturgical needs. Visual art depicts their religious

history. Art shapes religion, affection, beliefs, memories, and provides symbols. Religion without

art could become some ethereal spiritualism, and art without religion would turn into direction-

less subjectivism, devoid of proper orientation (Amaladass, 2001).”

We can arrive at an understanding that art, in any forms, sends a strong sense of aesthetic

experiences. Coupled with religious doctrines, it can become a meaningful turning point for

someone who endured religious conflict. As mentioned above, aesthetic experiences in the

Western tradition differs from Non-western, for the latter follows an inner-directed moral and

religious discipline. First, it strengthens the ties to religious community. Second, it is also

apparent that aesthetics serves as a basis for social criticism. For it can be used as a critic for

other cultures as opposed to what is the practice and custom of the other. Third, aesthetics, in its

variety of forms, is deemed to be a major contributor especially to communal values, including

religious values. And fourth, the trans-cultural characteristics of culture greatly affect the local

and national cultural identity based upon the shared communal values. As a result, what we are

trying to achieve is to reconcile these aesthetic experiences in the conditions of equality, mutual

respect and justice.

The main focus of this study is to understand social realities that can be examined and

that it merits a particular kind of approach. I have mentioned that what we sought is to develop a

mindset, a personal character, which is inclined towards addressing oppositions through the

promotion of our communal values. Hence, a support from a certain philosophical view is

important.

This is where I would like to make use of the scheme that was presented by some

thinkers who believed that our highest concern should focus or must have an interest for the

actual or real, as distinguish from the ideal, speculative or abstract. This is the tendency to

analyze things in view of the fact that they represent as they are. At the same time, especially in

arts, it is the manner of treating subject matter that presents clear description of everyday life

experiences. It is for this reason that the study would make use of the idea of realism as it applies

to the arts.

Realism in Art

In the notion of beauty and style in the art, realism has often been confounded with the

latter while idealism is the former. We refer to style as a departure from the common place of

truth of nature; it is by either representation or copying of form and in the composition of lines,

or by adding or diminishing away something from the form, or, by altering the direction or the

proportion of the lines. It is therefore the poetization of form and line. Idealism, on the other

hand, is a departure from the common place of nature in idea and subject – it is the poetization,

the spiritualization of subject, thought, and spirit. Accordingly, as both the notion of beauty and

style are produced by the departure from the common place – by means of poetization – they are

most of the time confused, though they are certainly distinct from one another (Ruckstuhl, 1917).

All art can be categorized into realistic, semi-ideal realistic and idealistic. However, what

we are after is the realistic aspect of the art and what does realism implies as to what the function

of the art should be. As Charles Bernard, once mentioned in his “Aristotle,” stressing of

Aristotle’s idea of the aim of art: - “That is the aim of Art. What is the principle of it? This

particular principle garnered diverse speculations and interpretations and has produced matter for

so many debates: is Imitation. The actual passage is very clear to us and devoid of vagueness:

‘All arts are imitations’ (Poet, I). The arts do not vary significantly except that they all just are

imitations, in a means of imitating the objects and by which how they imitate it (Ruckstuhl,

1917).

Imitation, by definition, is a thing intended to simulate or copy something else. Just like

when a monkey inside a cage imitates the action of a boy who is fond of watching him. Realism

in art is the copying or imitating practically, of any object, action, scene, or drama in nature.

However, we could always ask the question, is realism in art is just the basic imitation of

anything? Then, we would always fall to the notion of art as defined by Idealism. It is for a

reason that, in a large sense, it has become the realization of some kind of an Idea, or let say

Ideal which is created by the artist, since we assume that everything stems out from an idea

primarily. Therefore, there is no such thing as a complete work of art that can be categorized as a

piece of realism in the totality of art – since every human work, from baking a wedding cake to

constructing a house, is always a work of Idealism – because it expresses some sort of ideas, or

conception. Why does the discussion of Realism matters in our examination about art? Because

there are some human works that fall under the category of, what we commonly called,

Idealistic-Realism (Ibid.). And in this kind of realism is what I actually holds dear. For example,

we have the “The Spolarium” by Juan Luna, which is said to be one of the most celebrated

paintings by a Filipino. The subjects and the depiction of the painting was not actually the certain

situation that is actually happening during the time it was made, but we could see an ideal,

subject or story, so well composed, superbly painted, with notably truthful aura. The painting

speaks of realities, more than just ideals, which were in fact transpired during those periods of

time. However, everything that is imitated with a truth to nature is barely equaled to what is

being copied. We can divide the sense of the painting as to the composition being ideal, and real

in its execution. On the surface, Luna imagined or created nothing, except only the composition.

In a nutshell, we may now define Realism as follows: Realism in art means, first: the selection of

a subject dealing with things and human activities of a commonplace truth of nature, and second,

the definite representations of the forms of nature in any subject that was chosen, by means of

imitation, especially to that of forms with the utmost possible truth to nature. And as for the

reason for focusing on this type, is that it sends a stronger sense of communal message more than

any other type of realism, especially that the application of this examination is directed towards

addressing binary opposing elements such as racism that involves different ethnicities and

cultures.

There is indeed a noticeable connection between aesthetics and realism. The former

speaks about a set of principles concerned with the appreciation of beauty, especially in arts. On

one hand, the latter tells about the attempt of arts to represent subject matters as truthful as

possible, without artificiality. The combination of the two concepts openly channels us to the

philosophy of Aesthetic Realism. Our examination of the philosophy is not only directed towards

our understanding of the meaning of both concepts as conceived independently, rather, we wish

to recognize that the totality of the philosophy speaks about an attitude – it is the manner or the

outlook of every person on how he or she sees life as part of his or her realizations.

Aesthetic Realism as an Attitude towards Life

Aesthetic Realism was founded by Eli Siegel in 1941.The philosophy has three core

principles: First, the deepest desire of every person is to view the world on an honest and in an

accurate basis. Second, the greatest danger for a person to refrain from appreciation is to have

contempt, thus, the goal of Aesthetic Realism is to abstain from it. And third, the study of what

makes for beauty in art is a guide for a good and complete life. To achieve the goal, one must

incorporate the philosophy’s maxim which is the making one of opposites, and that the making

one of opposites is what we should go for ourselves.

Aesthetic Realism states that in every ethical consideration, it should always begin with

the human obligation to see everything in a positive and accurate basis, means to say, the

immediate aesthetic experience it manifests. In other words, one must not succumb to contempt,

for it brings negativity and injustice which will cause a person to dislike his view about life and

the world as a whole. Contempt is the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration,

worthless, or undeserving. The first success of contempt is the feeling in people that they have

the right to see other people and things pretty much as they pleased. Most people have felt that

there is no need for such obligation to see other people and other objects in a way that seemed to

go with comfort – this reality is the beginning of the injustice and pain of the world. It is

contempt in its first universal, hideous form. Siegel provides two means, as Aesthetic Realism

sees it, of bringing some satisfaction to ourselves. First, for example, is to see something just like

a sunset, a poem, a concerto, which is actually a by-product of our reality and stands for the

world that which pleases us through what it is: its space, time, and structure in mind. This is

according to him the aesthetic victory – which is the most sensible of all victories (Siegel, 1981).

Aesthetic Realism sees all reality including the reality that is oneself, as the aesthetic

oneness of opposites. It is clear that reality is in motion and rest at once, change and sameness at

once. If that is the premise, we should also look at ourselves as a change and motion at once,

change and sameness at once – since we are all part of the reality. For example, if I ask someone

if I am in motion this afternoon at 3’oclock, and if I am still the person I was – the answer would

be: “Precisely, you are moving and still you are what you are at 3’oclock in the afternoon.” It can

also happen that music is felt always as oneness of motion and rest, or of sameness and

difference. A person, like music, is just an example of aesthetic reality; for every moment of

person’s life, he is at once at rest and in motion, sameness and change. For Siegel, Aesthetic

Realism is personally useful especially for character development. It is always to view the world

as positive as possible, and a hope not to miss anything which tells what the world is. Therefore,

Aesthetic Realism, then, is unabashed philosophy, as it presents the instances as sociable to a

person; as perhaps deeper, wider, and more oneself or realist than thought (Siegel, 1981)

Chapter 3

Art and its Aesthetic Function

There have been numerous accounts coming from various philosophers who said that

even reason could not explain the abstract notion of beauty. For Aristotle, the concept of beauty

must have some rational properties, such as “order, proportion, and symmetry,” It can also be

understood through intuition experienced with human feeling and emotion. Thus, an aesthetic

experience could produce a mixture of feelings such as rage, grief, suffering, joy, and pleasure. It

is of the rightmost concern to study various theories of art in order to grasp what is essentially

relevant in our quest to prove that art evokes aesthetic function, and it has other instrumental

functions. These various theories could be used in order to aid our understanding about art and

aesthetics in general.

Art and Pleasure

Some philosophers have argued that the value of art is necessarily connected with

pleasure or enjoyment because, they argue, to say that a poem, a painting, a play or a piece of

music is good is a way of saying that it pleases us. Here lies the concept of Aesthetic Hedonism

which answers the question ‘what makes art valuable?’ – is that we see art as a source of

pleasure or enjoyment for our self and to others. The best known philosopher to hold this view is

the Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-76). In his essay entitled ‘Of the Standard of Taste’

he argues that ‘agreeableness’ is the most important thing about art, it is about the pleasure we

obtain from it, about someone’s sentiment, not its intrinsic nature. The ‘judgments’ whether we

perceive art as good or bad are not actually judgments at all mainly because sentiments has

reference to nothing beyond itself, and it is at all times, wherever a man is conscious of it (Hume

1963: 238). So to say, aesthetics preferences are expressions of the taste of observer, not a

description or statements about a certain art, and Hume thinks that the wide variety of opinions

regarding art that we find in this world is a verification of this fact.

Aesthetic opinion is essentially subjective, not objective. However, by their very nature,

they still are connected with enjoyment or pleasure, and at least some artistic sentiments are not

discountable. Moreover, that pertains to ‘of Tragedy’, where dreadfulness of the event is on the

emphasis, he finds it puzzling that some people would willingly watch plays, poems, or even

paintings that includes events that will horrify them. He explained that the horribleness of the

events would naturally repel us; it is turned into pleasure by the artistry with which the events are

depicted (Hume, 1711)

Art and Beauty

Contrary to the subjectivist view towards art, a German philosopher Immanuel Kant on

The Critique of Judgment developed an objectivist approach when it comes to beauty and

generally as it applies to art. He calls aesthetic judgments ‘judgment of taste’ and note that

though tastes are based in an individual’s subjective feelings, they also claim universal validity.

Our feeling about pleasure and moral goodness does differ from our feelings about beauty in that

they are disinterested. It is for the explanation that we seek to possess pleasurable objects, and

we seek to promote moral goodness, but we originally appreciate beauty without feeling driven

to find some use for it, so as to say in the case for having a tastes. He later explained that

judgments of taste are universal because they are disinterested: our individual desires or needs

have no effect when we appreciate beauty, so our aesthetic response applies universally.

However, aesthetic pleasure comes from the free play between imagination and understanding

when perceiving an object (1970).

Kant was able to distinguish the beautiful from the sublime. While the appeal of beautiful

objects is immediately apparent, the sublime holds a cloud of mystery and ineffability. While a

Greek statue or a pretty flower is beautiful, the movement of storm clouds or a massive building

is sublime: they are, in a sense, too great to get our heads around. Kant argues that our sense of

the sublime is connected with our faculty of reason, which has ideas of absolute totality and

absolute freedom. While storm clouds or a massive building might stretch our minds, they are

nothing compared with reason’s ideas of absolute totality and freedom. Apprehending sublime

objects puts us in touch with these ideas of reason, so that sublimity resides not in sublime

objects but in reason itself (Ibid.).

Art and Emotion

Others would also have argued that what matters most in art is the emotion it emanates,

that is both the feeling of the artist and the emotional impact of the art in its audience. Tolstoy

noted that if pleasure is the commonplace explanation of the value of art, expression of emotion

is the commonplace value of its very nature. It emphasizes that intense emotion is an authentic

source of aesthetic experience.

“Art is a human activity consisting in this, that one man consciously by means of certain

external signs, hands on to others feelings he has lived through, and that others are infected by

these feelings and also experience them (Tolstoy in Neill and Ridley 1995: 511).”

Artists are inspired by their experience of deep emotion, and so they use their skills on

painting, sculpting, or in music, to embody that emotion in a work of art. The mark of its

embodiment is that it motivates the same emotion in its audience, the artist then is able to

communicate emotional experience.

Art and Understanding

It is undeniable that any work of art has cognitive value. A more integral relationship

between artistry and understanding can be found on some work of arts that contain self-

conscious statements and elaborates information. Of course artists often have ‘messages’ that

they hope to intend to convey. We can infer that a work of art is sometimes actually to enhance

our level of cognition or understanding. There are several advantages that cognitivism enjoys as

an explanation of the value and importance of art, because these shows that there is a good

reason to continue in trying to solve the problem that cognition and art encounters.

First, the notion that art enriches human understanding makes it relatively easy to explain

the place of art in every culture. We see art classes in various universities that intend to enhance

student knowledge about their culture and that would made them intelligible in conversing for

that matter.

Second, cognitivism can make someone’s undertaking a lifetime commitment to art, for

example as a painter, a composer, or a poet. Thus, dedication for art is worth living.

Third, we view art as a source of understanding, and with this, it enables us to explain the

way we discriminate between works of art. It is also the same way as saying that an experiment

is judged more importantly than another with the light of its contribution to wider intellectual

concerns, so therefore a piece of art can intelligibly be said to be more profound if it enhances

our understanding .

And fourth, aesthetic cognitivism enables us to make sense of an important range of

critical vocabulary, because if art can deepen our understanding, then we can describe a work as

the exploration of theme without any conceptual language deficiency (Graham, 1997).

The purpose of discussing these theories is that we simply want to build with them. These

propositions we established lead us to interpret the dynamics and meaning of art, particularly in

music. In result, the purpose of art in this perspective is to create an aesthetic arena that is

conscious of politics and relates to emancipation. We should not limit ourselves with the cliché,

‘art for art’s sake’ but we should be able to comprehend the dynamics of art: its notion of beauty,

the sensation it emanates, the emotion it expresses, and the understanding it delivers. The

philosopher D.W. Gotshalk points to the dynamic interaction between these theories based on his

universal criteria. He describes these criteria in terms of the interaction of expression, form,

materials, and the function of art in society. Each of these aspects of art has its own dynamics, as

explained and elaborated previously, but when they come together creates a powerful interaction

and conviction, and that they need to support one another. We should constantly view art as the

synergy of these ideas so as to generate a clear manifestation of what is really the function of art

in the society. Gotshalk clearly pointed it out that for us to judge art, we should eliminate the

error of judging it ideally, and its material dimension should be scrutinized.

“The materials of the artist – the pigments, tones, timbre, marble, etc. – are part of the artist’s

tools, and usually involved with the artist’s intent. The proper resolution in the differences in these

materials (as red vs. blue in painting, or as faster vs. slower in music) is critical to understanding a work

of art. In painting, pigments have different hues and values of intensity that must be brought together to

create an aesthetic experience. In music, tones contrast in pitch, timbre, and volume and they must find

an aesthetic connection. In sculpture, marble has its contrarieties in grain, color, texture, and sheen, etc.

In creating a work of art these contrasting qualities must join aesthetically (Gotshalk, 1947).”

The connection of the materials and other categories such as its form and expression is

also a necessary point of reference especially when judging a particular piece of art; however, the

aesthetic use of the “tools”, as quoted above, is of course inadequate. What we need to secure is

a criteria essentially on the aesthetic form to take the proceeding step in looking at art as it

presented to us. Plato once argued that the form of the art faces the problem of space and time,

tension and resolution, causality and teleology – and these are universal forms, which according

to him are “the structure of human existence.” Art manifests these forms. These universal forms

can be a basis for creating the specific aesthetic form that we are aiming for, thus, the duty of art

is to bring the forms of art a material dimension and to generate the aesthetic experience. What

are the principles behind that expresses this so called “Aesthetic form?”

Gotshalk would say that the form of every art work expresses various principles.

Examples of these principles are balance, harmony, centrality, development, and a lot more. A

work of art for example a song, a painting, a play, or a sculpture – exhibits unity based on these

principles, which are universal to art. Harmony, for example, achieves unity by recurring in the

artwork. Balance achieves unity by the virtue of contrast; since certain aspects oppose and

equalize each other. The opposing principles appear to form a system of neutralizing tensions to

produce that unity, but the dynamics still remain. However, the principle of balance and harmony

are the reverse of each other, as balance emphasizes ‘diversity in unity,’ and harmony

emphasizes ‘unity in diversity’. The principle of centrality on the other hand becomes apparent

when “an ensemble of items is so connected that one item or group is given aesthetic dominance

over the others,” which are still important but subordinate to it. An example of this is Giotto’s

Madonna Enthroned with its dominant mother and child; furthermore in music, a certain tone or

chord or even riffs may dominate over the other, e.g. a riff that is used in the song Smells like

Teen Spirit by the band Nirvana. Moreover, the principle of development, as to contrast to other

principles is based on novelty as opposed to harmony’s dependence on repetition; it is based on

disequilibrium as opposed to balance, which is solely based on stability. Centrality is obviously

based on hierarchical order, but development is an arrangement of items as prior or posterior as it

manifests progression. The aforementioned principles are the chief principles of form that are

usually used by artists for the enhancement of perception (p.99, 1962).

To proceed with the steps on establishing the criteria; the ‘form’ must connect reasonably

with the ‘expression’ in the work of art. By ‘expression’ in a work of art, Gotshalk would mean

that “it is great wealth of content – the feelings, character, idea, and personality – lying behind

the material surface” and within its structured form. The artists may produce an art consciously

or unconsciously, the underlying principles in the use of ‘materials’ and ‘form’ must then bear

that expression. For example, in a dance, the body must express moving sensations of lightness,

fluidity, liveliness, floating and falling. In music, a harmonious combination of instruments is

required to express melancholy, sparkle, swiftness, power, or uncertainty. In painting, there are

certain colors and texture needed to express tenderness, loveliness, coherence, and alluringness.

And so on (Ibid).

For the last proposition, the dynamics between the materials, the form, and the

expression of art must be evaluated in what is its real function in the society. We have to cross-

examine the connection of art to society with more accuracy and as rigid as possible. Hence, we

should also be wary that if we link art and its aesthetic function to the society, we should

anticipate some political issues that lie ahead. As Gotshalk’s analysis taught us, the principles of

art should stand solidly in the field of aesthetics. However, there is more to tackle about art in

terms of culture, and that includes gender, race, class, and nationality. Of course each culture

requires study for how aesthetic principles apply in their context. This means to say that we have

to link aesthetics and the art with sociology to examine variable norms that is important in this

study. The people or the spectator of the art is required to open up their eyes since beauty can be

virtually anything, and it has to go in and be part of the their life, the reason why this particular

study of Aesthetic Realism and the Art involves the method of participant observation which

engages everyone to be conscious of, so as to address certain political issues specifically

prejudice and discrimination that is still prevalent nowadays.

Chapter IV

Aesthetic Realism in the Music of Asin

The value of art depends on the aesthetic judgments we had given; it could be through a

matter of taste, beauty, emotion, and cognition. Nevertheless, whatever facts or explanation it

may hold to be true, we lay down that the value of it has to be respected. We refer to these facts

depending on the form of the art it shows. Music is a different medium from drama, architecture,

sculpture, poetry, and so on. These differences in the value of art, is an issue that has to be

examined in order for a more detailed way in relation to each and what it represents for.

As discussed in Chapter 2 and 3, the discussion up to this point will be concerning the

respective importance of pleasure, beauty and insight in general, and the study of Aesthetic

Realism believes that the value of music holds much dear compare to other forms. There are

several reasons for why this study chose music as its medium. First, it is regarded as one of the

established art, and often credited as art in its purest form. Moreover, it provides explanation of

the value of art by understanding the ‘song’ itself and the artist satisfactorily. Second, the value

of this form quickly leads us to the understanding of our environment or reality because it has

been said that a song written by an artist’s is a representation of what transpired in his reality,

what he thought, and what he felt. It is also unquestionable that, for instance, a provocative

music can and does give pleasure, sometimes often valued for this reason. Furthermore, it is

often regarded as a widely accepted powerful tool for the expression of emotion and insights, as

other musicians and composers have attributed to it as a meaningful means to reveal something

about human life and experience.

The aim of this chapter is to elucidate the notion that music holds as a powerful medium

in the light of Aesthetic Realism in our quest to offer a solution in addressing prejudice and

discrimination, so as to view the world as positively as possible. From here, the thesis would

dwell on the analysis of the songs written and performed by one of the most iconic and patriotic

Filipino folk rock bands formed in the 1970’s which we popularly known as Asin. The band is

recognized for incorporating local tribal instruments into their music. They had taken respect and

admiration for Filipino indigenous music, and as a result, what they did was to offer genuine

‘Original Pinoy Music’ that is essentially rooted from the music of ethnical minorities from

different regions in the Philippines, such as the Ifugao’s of Cordillera, Mangyans of Mindoro,

Tausug of Sulu, and so on. The group was also able to penetrate the consciousness of the masses

by connecting their arts’ message that is either explicit or implicit, through producing songs that

invoke social, political, and environmental advocacies, especially on the atrocious event that was

transpired during the time of Martial Law which most of the people deemed as one of the darkest

time of the country. From that social reality, what the band did was to construct songs that would

tap on the awareness of the people, imitated possible state of affairs and had put it in the lyrics of

their songs, so as to capture what were really the evocative emotions during that period. The

thesis identified three of their songs that best exemplify what the philosophy of aesthetic realism

is all about, these are: 1.) Ang Bayan kong Sinilangan, 2.) Gising na Kaibigan, and 3.) Himig ng

Pag-ibig.

In the song Ang Bayang kong Sinilangan, the point of view comes from a person who is

said to be born in Cotabato. The lyrics of the song narrate how disordered the world is: “Kasing

gulo ng tao, kasing gulo ng mundo.” The narrator merely describes it as troubled as humanity,

and as chaotic as a dystopian society. He straightforwardly pinpoints to the reasons as to why his

birthplace is like that, and according to him these are disagreements in religion and principles.

The song also speaks of a battle between fellowmen, who in fact are brothers, but they fight

among themselves. The person seems confused and disoriented why it happens; the spill of blood

and deaths of innocents have to occur – which according to him are pointless and illogical.

However, at the latter part, the mood starts to change when the person who is narrating seems to

suggest reconciliation through mutual understanding and respect for one another: “Ako’y

nananawagan, humihingi ng tulong nyo.” Everyone who is in conflict should throw away their

prejudice and discrimination and must create harmony among them. As a result, one must learn

to forgive and forget religious and political differences. Hence, at the last part of the verse

“Ituring mong isang kaibigan, isipin mong siya’y may puso rin katulad mo.”

“Ang Bayang kong Sinilangan” I presume is a fine example of music that purely speaks

about the social reality that is happening today. It expresses the struggle of Moro brothers in the

Southern Philippines. The song delivers a very provocative call for peace and unity amongst two

opposing forces, and it delivers a strong message to reconcile differences and to create harmony

with one another since at the end of the day, we are still one as countrymen of the nation. A

nation that is estranged largely because of geo-political and religious differences is apparent; the

practice of prejudice and discrimination is of utmost concern since it can result into disparities

and biases towards some race and ethnicities. The song relates to us that the process of deterring

from contempt in order to view the world as positively as possible should always be mindful of

the causes and must identify different factors as to why this particular treatment occurs, for

example, the culture and beliefs of the group involved. The concept of cultural identity speaks

basically of what should be the approach on dealing with this particular problem that is greatly

rooted from varying culture, therefore, the use of a universal link which the thesis presumed can

be examined in music particularly in this work.

To veer away from contempt, which is one of the tenets of Aesthetic Realism, is what the

song Gising na Kaibigan ko merely put forward to. In the first verse, “Nakita mo na ba ang dapat

mong makita, nagawa mo na ba ang mga bagay na dapat mong ginawa,” the composer plainly

asks the listeners of what was it that they did or what they will be doing in the future by

questioning the things they have done in their life. The verse apparently talks about the actions of

man in understanding what the composer intends to convey, it addresses its audience in an arena

wherein the message of the song tries to invoke persuasive expression so as to invoke change in

his course of actions. Consequently, “Kalagan na ang tali sa paa, Imulat na ang iyong mga mata,”

is somehow a call for people to emancipate their minds and do something what they deem is

necessarily good, so that as the last line of the first verse suggests, “Kay sarap ng buhay lalo na

at alam mo kung saan pupunta.” It directs its subjects eventually to have a purpose and a goal in

their life.

In the chorus, “Gising na kaibigan ko, ganda ng buhay ay nasa sa’yo,” seems to be an

insight of the composer to what should be the outlook a person must have in his life. He/she

refers to the addressee as ‘kaibigan’ which we denotatively defined as someone with whom one

has a bond of mutual affection, and with this, we clearly cross-out the attitude of contemplation

which is largely discouraged in our study of Aesthetic Realism. It also follows that the ambiance,

or the special atmosphere created by an imagery of a particular environment of the song, seems

in a lighter mood which specifically made intentional for it brings solemnity and stillness on the

harmony of the song for it produce the aesthetic experience it is meant for, to express, to give

insight, to appreciate, and to encourage positive outlook towards our social reality. And for

someone who would perceive the music, might come up into a realization that having contempt

to the world which eventually leads to discrimination and meaningless opposition is not a path to

take into consideration because it is morally unjustifiable.

Likewise, the song Himig ng Pag-ibig, inspires us to understanding that life is full of

kindness and honesty. In the 2nd verse, the line “Tulad ng ibong malaya ang pag-ibig natin, tulad

ng langit na kay sarap marating,” it purely implies that affection which was referred as ‘pag-ibig’

is for everyone. It does not necessarily mean ‘eros’ [romantic love] but it also taps those who are

in ‘philia’ [brotherly love] which is also the love between two friends who are ‘like brothers’. In

effect, it brought us to the notion that in every ethical consideration, it is the commitment of a

person to see everything as honest and positive. In simple words, one must not be a perpetrator

of prejudice and discrimination since these bring injustice and negativity towards a person and

the world as a whole. As the 2nd to the last line of 2nd verse implies, “Tulad ng tubig sa batis

hinahagkan ng hangin, pag-ibig ang ilaw sa buhay natin,” we are asked to appreciate that the

beauty of our actions or whatever you believe makes you the person that you are. What is it that

you do will certainly define your character as a moral agent. Furthermore, the interlude which

has the words of, “La la la la La la la…” along the instrumentation gives the listeners a somberly

impressive mood that causes some serious thoughts in the appreciation of life which for a reason,

I think the aesthetic function of the whole song. It encourages us to listen for it gives us the

pleasure because of the harmony it emanates and at the same time it expresses an attitude that is

basically to view the world as positive as possible.

Aesthetic realism, as mentioned on Chapter 2, has this tripartite principle. One, man’s

greatest and deepest desire is to like the world on a positive basis. Two, the only way to have a

positive outlook, is to see the world as the aesthetic oneness of opposites. And three, the greatest

danger for a man is to be a victim of contempt - that is to get a false importance of glory caused

by self-centeredness and intolerance.

The three specific Asin songs that the study chosen; respectively, Ang Bayan kong

Sinilangan, Gising na Kaibigan, and Himig ng Pag-ibig, were all indisputably meaningful

examples of music that adhere to each of the principles of the philosophy aforementioned.

Besides, there have been commonalities in the lyrics of the songs, the usage of terms such as:

“pagmamahal,” “kaibigan,” “malaya,” and so on, which are in fact words connotatively

exemplifies the principles of Aesthetic Realism as it performs aesthetic function on unifying

meaningless oppositions. Each of these songs tries to address conflicting aspects or qualities of

reality, particularly conflicting emotions within the status of society, via inducing positive social

and political messages to the songs. For when that coherence is established, sincerity is felt, and

truly expressed by a person to other person. To understand the works of Asin, is to understand

that music, in general, can be of essential use which Aesthetic Realism renders to offer.

Therefore, every person can overcome prejudice and discrimination and have a true kindness in

their outlook towards life, music can be, more than ever before, a meaningful means for this.

Chapter V

Aesthetic Experiences, Subjectivism, and Aesthetic Realism

From the discussions of previous chapters, we are already confined on the notion that

Aesthetic Realism as a philosophical reflection merits actual more than thought. The essence of

being a realist is truthfully directed towards the actual experience of the subject matter,

especially in our study that involves arts. And since we are talking about an ‘experience’,

basically the sensible contact with observations of facts or phenomena, the problem is that we

may fall on the idea that experiences varies from one person to another. Especially for this study

that deals with aesthetic experiences, some potential questions may arise: how do we reconcile

these differences? Is there a particular standard of beauty that we should adhere to? Do we have

to objectively look at this approach in dealing with aesthetic experiences? This chapter aims to

address these possible difficulties that lie ahead.

In chapter 3, it was discussed as one of the classic theories of art, that the judgment of

taste, that is, the opinion of beauty, is based on ‘pleasure’. This particular theory or idea of

aesthetics is a clear frontrunner of subjectivism, hence, we embrace to believe that a person holds

the right to judge a particular form of art as beautiful or not. Agreeableness is only a matter of

whether a work of art gives pleasure; otherwise, it is not agreeable. A realist would say that, in

aesthetic pleasure, it represents events or objects as possessing aesthetic properties. Furthermore,

the realist would say that, unlike judgments about the niceness and goodness of for example the

music of Asin, aesthetic judgments are solely based on pleasure, the essential content of it must

be purely aesthetic, in a sense that it encapsulates aesthetic contents. In contrast, we also

discussed about Kant’s Critique of Judgement (Kant, 1928) as opposed to the former theory.

First, Kant espouses that aesthetic pleasure is not similar to what we might think as sensuous

pleasure, which has no content at all – say for example the pleasure of being near in a fireplace to

keep you warmth when the weather is too cold. Second, ‘interested’ pleasures, which bound up

by desires, have no aesthetic content. The appeal to aesthetic content helps us to distinguish

aesthetic pleasure from pleasures that has no content and from pleasures that has non-aesthetic

contents. Yet, although it is true that the realist must say at least that, grasping the idea of non-

aesthetic contents is not distinctive of the approach the realist follows. It is for a reason that we

cannot actually assume that the existence of aesthetic concepts and contents implies a realist

account of pleasure. A realist account of pleasure would be something that is realistic and

representational in content. A realist account of pleasure is not dwelling on the idea of sensuous

pleasure; it comforts from pleasures that are valuable in content. For example, on the examples

of songs that were aforementioned, the aesthetic pleasure it holds is greater than that sensuous

pleasure it brings. Besides from the fact that it pleases our hearing, which is of course sensual,

these particular kind of music delivers factual and representational pleasure which we actually

wishes to accomplish – the pleasure of being in a state of satisfaction, happiness, and agreement.

How then we should describe aesthetic realism? Is it only a matter of judgment of taste? a

matter of subjectivism? To widen the scope of the philosophy, I argue that the focus of our

understanding should not only be limited to aesthetic experience, it should be a special kind of

experience that is endowed with representations and actualizations; means to say that our

experiences should represent aesthetic state of affairs, facts, events, and so on. This, in turn, that

our aesthetic experiences of the world are embodies genuine aesthetic properties. By these

experiences, it results into our aesthetic judgments, which also must have representational factual

content. For instance, a realist view of music, the content of our aesthetic experience of music is

the representation of a musical state of affairs. What do I mean by this? This means to say that

we represent sounds as having certain properties that are musical, such as beauty, harmony,

passion, elegant, anger, and so on. So a realist would say that it is what it means to appreciate

and understand music. It is, first, to experience the sounds as possessing the aesthetic content that

in fact they possess. And second, to judge the sounds possess by these properties. For example,

in the song Himig ng Pag-ibig, the melody is passionate, we appreciate and comprehend it if and

only if we deem it as passionate, thus, and we judge the song as indeed passionate.

Aesthetic realism, on one hand, seems to be a moral philosophy. It is for a fact that it

prescribes moral conduct and principles. Now if we compare aesthetic judgment to moral

judgment, which of the two is more plausible? As discussed above, aesthetic judgment must be a

realistic affair, and must always be associated with feelings and emotions. These particular

aesthetic judgments are deriving from our aesthetic experiences which of course bring us to our

feelings of emotional response. On the other hand, moral judgments can be derived from our

moral belief which need not be experiential, for example, when a child listens to her mother not

to steal because it is immoral. The child may develop a moral belief of not stealing because it is

bad even though he or she may have not experienced it yet. Nevertheless, we wish not to

discriminate morality from aesthetics because from the start, the study of Aesthetic realism is all

about directed towards inner-morality and appreciation for aesthetics and arts. The thesis wishes

to supplement aesthetics to morality for it holds a promising solution to the problems presented

and discussed by the study.

Chapter VI

Conclusion

The philosophy of Aesthetic Realism suggests that an optimistic view of the world is

what we should aim for. The core doctrine of the philosophy: “All beauty is making one of

opposites, and the making of one opposite is what we are going after in ourselves.” The principle

seems to be illogical in every context because when you come to think of it, how would someone

reconciles oppositions when in fact the very essence of it is irreconcilable? The answer for this

question is not a matter of logical judgment or whatsoever, what the philosophy prescribes to us

is to render a positive outlook towards the world and disregards the notion of having contempt to

someone. Of course, there would always be ethical considerations to follow especially that

various cultures follow different norms and beliefs. However, what we are sure of is that the use

of art music in particular as medium for affecting lives and practices of people is evident and

instrumental in a sense that it renders communal values especially directed to those people who

are victims of prejudice and discrimination. This horrid issues, in particular racism, do not

actually begin with an attitude to people because of their skin color, it actually begin with our

ordinary contempt to people for what we think that they are different from us. It is an unpleasant

disposition in life to think and act on a person or a group of people that is different in so many

ways – to isolate them on the existing system of customs of society.

I would like to play on the idea that ‘Humans are different and the same’. Just like dogs,

what more of different in aspect than a terrier dog, a bulldog, a labrador dog, and the husky dog?

These were all dogs that only differ in sizes and personalities yet they still in the same species.

We cannot reasonably doubt that whatever the breed of dog a certain dog might encounter, the

dog certainly does not doubt the entire identity of the species. In simple words, the dog can

recognize another dog, no matter how different they are. How much more of humans? Given that

we are more rational and endowed with mental faculties that are needed to understand the world

more than a dog, or any animals can. In here lies the notion of ‘oneness of opposites’ – that is to

see a person as another person just like you, regardless of race, origin, social status, and so on.

As mentioned on the previous chapters, the study is directed to communal values of

essentially every person. It seeks to enhance our understanding about the world and the moral

values that governs it. Contempt, the feeling that looking down somebody else, is assume to be

the principal source of prejudice and discrimination which leads to an ideology which we refer as

racism. It is the feeling that we see ourselves as more if we can see another as less. By claiming

that one’s ethnicity or race is more superior to the other, is a victory towards contempt, which the

study wishes to lessen and avoid, if possible. The thesis hopes to achieve the aesthetic victory

that it was presented which is to promote the convergence of ideas and aspirations so as to avoid

destructive oppositions. It might not be that easy to achieve but it is so promising when realized.

The study of Aesthetic Realism can be of a relevant consideration especially when

creating a policy or regulation. It is apt to affirm that the universal form and expression of the art

and its function in the society can be a crucial lens, and can be a meaningful venue for

convergence of opposing ideas. The thesis wishes to supplement the resolution of some pressing

social issues such as the struggle between the Philippine government and our Muslim brothers in

establishing their identity on the Southern Philippines, using of what we have in the form of

successful and meaningful works of music such as: Ang Bayan kong Sinilangan, Gising na

Kaibigan, and Himig ng Pag-ibig. The only difficulty here is that whether the subjects involved

subscribe to the idea that the study presented. With the amount of songs that are being produced

from time to time, we wish to encourage that the production of this particular type of songs, that

which invokes certain kind of emotion and aspiration must be of our relevant concern. This is in

view of the fact that discriminations our rampant whenever you go. This particular kind of

approach I believe is no-nonsense to begin with. Nevertheless, what the thesis did is to offer an

alternative outlook using the study of aesthetics and the arts and offer a new perspective in

addressing oppositions especially it seeks to enhance personal understanding with regards to

what is beautiful and good. And that at the end of the day, the problem of prejudice and

discrimination would be lessen and must be discouraged on a greater basis.