The work defines three aspects of Souriau’s animal aesthetics by stressing their relevance in the context of early and contemporary ethology: in (1), the concept «biological nature» which is interpreted by Souriau as a realm of appearances and as intrinsically aesthetic; in (2), the concept of animal sensibility, which makes it possible to reframe animals’ artistic behaviours and the sense by which such phenomena establish a meaningful relationship with the environment; in (3), the concept of form, in the description of natural appearances, is presented as it enters into the process of institution that, accordingly to Souriau’s interpretation of biological nature, encompasses non-human animals and humans. All three definitions will allow us a), to present Souriau’s critique of anthropomorphism and his proposal of an «healthy» zoomorphism; b) to reformulate animals’ sensibility in a non-reductionistic fashion; and finally, c) to address the issue with the supposedly sole communicative function of animal artistic behaviors.

Maddalena Mazzocut-Mis

Andrea Scanziani

Aisthesis Pratiche linguaggi e saperi dell’estetico

The choice of the name of the journal represents a farewell from the identification of aesthetics with hermeneutics and speculative philosophy of art. It also shows our strong commitment to the irreducibility of aesthetics to a mere psychological fact.  The subtitle of the journal “practices, languages and knowledge concerning aesthetics” indicates the present, fertile pluralism of aesthetics. This is a pluralism of views and methods, often connected with the different ways in which contemporary arts and aesthetic abilities present and structure themselves. Also, it is a pluralism of thoughts and formulas, which induces to relativize the western tradition within which the discipline of aesthetics was born. Finally, it is a pluralism of epistemic landscapes, which also trespasses into the sphere of sensibility and art. These various, epistemic landscapes have recently experienced a revolutionary enlargement through the rise of some new or radically renewed disciplines (from neurosciences to anthropology, from cognitive sciences to psychobiology). Indeed, we conceive Aisthesis as a public space where those different approaches and disciplines can interact.

The choice of the name of the journal, Aisthesis (Italy), signifies a departure from equating aesthetics with hermeneutics and speculative philosophy of art. It reflects our strong commitment to the idea that aesthetics cannot be reduced to mere psychological phenomena. The subtitle of the journal, 'practices, languages, and knowledge concerning aesthetics,' indicates the rich pluralism present in contemporary aesthetics. This pluralism encompasses various views and methods, often linked to the diverse ways in which contemporary arts and aesthetic capacities manifest and structure themselves. Additionally, it represents a plurality of thoughts and formulas, prompting a relativization of the Western tradition from which the discipline of aesthetics originated. Ultimately, it also involves a pluralism of epistemic landscapes that extends into the realms of sensibility and art. These various epistemic landscapes have recently undergone a revolutionary expansion due to the emergence of new or radically renewed disciplines, ranging from neurosciences to anthropology, cognitive sciences to psychobiology. We envision Aisthesis as a public space where these different approaches and disciplines can interact.

《Aisthesis (Italy)》期刊的名称选择标志着我们告别将美学与解释学和艺术的思辨哲学相等同的传统。它体现了我们对美学不可简化为单纯心理现象的坚定承诺。期刊的副标题“关于美学的实践、语言和知识”表明了当代美学的丰富多元性。这种多元性体现在不同的观点和方法上，通常与当代艺术及其美学能力的表现和构建方式相关联。同时，这也是一种思想和公式的多元性，促使我们对美学这一学科所诞生的西方传统进行相对化的思考。最后，这种多元性还扩展到认识论的不同领域，涉及感性和艺术的范畴。这些不同的认识论领域，最近因一些新兴或彻底更新的学科（如神经科学、人类学、认知科学和心理生物学）的崛起而经历了革命性的扩展。我们将《Aisthesis (Italy)》视为一个公共空间，在这里，不同的方法和学科可以相互交流。

Souriau’s Animal Aesthetics In Context: Nature, Sensibility, and Form

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