Exploring the Aesthetic 'Space' for Inter-religious Encounter
General Material Designation
[Article]
First Statement of Responsibility
David Cheetham
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.
Leiden
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Brill
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This exploratory paper sets out to engage in some preliminary considerations concerning aesthetics and the meeting of religions. Underlying some of the thinking in this paper is the debatable assumption that there can be a recognizable difference between religious and aesthetic kinds of experience. Thus, the arts might be able to create 'worlds' which are easier for those with religious commitments to enter than explicitly religious territories. Moreover, we can perhaps use aesthetics as a loose category (without theoretical elaboration) in order to find areas of enjoyable inter-religious aesthetic conversation. That is, there is just a 'given-ness' or 'abundance' about art and beauty that allows us to simply enjoy our experience of it and share it with others. This exploratory paper sets out to engage in some preliminary considerations concerning aesthetics and the meeting of religions. Underlying some of the thinking in this paper is the debatable assumption that there can be a recognizable difference between religious and aesthetic kinds of experience. Thus, the arts might be able to create 'worlds' which are easier for those with religious commitments to enter than explicitly religious territories. Moreover, we can perhaps use aesthetics as a loose category (without theoretical elaboration) in order to find areas of enjoyable inter-religious aesthetic conversation. That is, there is just a 'given-ness' or 'abundance' about art and beauty that allows us to simply enjoy our experience of it and share it with others.