Moral Evaluation of Contemporary Art

Moral Evaluation of Contemporary Art

I.               Chapter 1: Introduction

A.    Introduction

a.     The study will focus on assessing the moral flaws of contemporary art and its associated impact on the aesthetic merit or value of the art.

b.     Chapter 1 will discuss the background of the research problem and present the statement of the problem, purpose, research questions, significance, the definition of terms and assumptions, limitations and delimitations.

B.    Background of the Problem

             i.         From a moral perspective, contemporary art is argued to be out of control (Carroll, 2012).

           ii.         The concept of artistic freedom limits moral constraint in the aesthetic expression of contemporary art

C.    Statement of the Problem

             i.         The study will seek to evaluate the aesthetic merit of contemporary art on the basis of different philosophical positions on morality.

           ii.         The study will be based on the need to provide a framework for the moral evaluation of contemporary art and its aesthetic value.

D.    Purpose of the Study

                 i.         To conduct a moral evaluation of contemporary art

                ii.         To discuss opposing philosophical views on the morality of contemporary art

              iii.         To assess the artistic value of contemporary art from a moral perspective

E.    Research Questions

             i.         Does the creation of contemporary art involve immoral activities?

           ii.         Is the esthetic value of contemporary art determined by its moral value?

          iii.         Should moral categories be applied to contemporary works of art?

F.    Significance of the Study

             i.         The study will be significant in providing a framework for ethical criticism of contemporary art.

           ii.         The study will indicate the right way of viewing contemporary art.

          iii.         Through the study, philosophical positions of autonomism and moralism will be distinguished in the context of the aesthetic value of contemporary art.

G.   Definition of Terms

             i.         Contemporary art-Works of art produced in the 21^st Century (Neill and Ridley 2013).

           ii.         Moralism-Moral flaws represented in works of contemporary art impact negatively on their aesthetic value (Osborne, 2013).

          iii.         Autonomism-The aesthetic merit of contemporary art is independent of the moral flaws it represents (Carroll, 2004).

          iv.         Ethical autonomism- works of art should be assessed in the context of their morality while preserving their autonomy (Van Gerwen, 2004).

H.   Assumptions, Limitations and Delimitations

        i.         Assumptions-Morality is defined by cultural values 

       ii.         Limitations-Limited to qualitative design

     iii.         Delimitations-Philosophical positions and views

I.      Conclusion

           i.         There are two opposing philosophical views on the aesthetic value of contemporary art: moralism and autonomism.

         ii.         The study will seek to assess contemporary art with a view of determining whether or not its autistic merit is influenced by the moral flaws it represents.

II.            Chapter 2: Review of the Literature

A.    Introduction

             i.         Chapter 2 will present a critical review of literature on contemporary art in the context of philosophical and cultural views on morality.

           ii.         The theoretical framework upon which the study will be based will be discussed in this chapter.

B.    Search Description

                 i.         Type of search: Online search

                ii.         Sources of literature: Online databases such as EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, and Proquest

              iii.         Search strategy: Boolean search

C.    Theoretical Framework: Kantian Ethics

                 i.         Description of Kant’s ethical framework as a deontological moral theory.

                ii.         Discussion of Kant’s moral imperatives

D.    Review of Research Literature

1. Moral debates and assumptions

a.     The moral nature of contemporary art is should be evaluated in terms of the content it represents (Lewis and Brooks, 2005).

b.     Contemporary art should be evaluated in relation to its aesthetic value rather than its moral flaws (Osborne, 2013).

2. Moral view of contemporary art

a.     Moral defects of contemporary art are equivalent to its aesthetic defects (Neill and Ridley 2013).

b.     The moral flaws of contemporary art overrule its artistic merits (Van Gerwen, 2004).

3. Moral judgments of contemporary art

a.     Contemporary art should not be viewed as a moral agent (Bermúdez and Gardner, 2003)

b.     Works of contemporary art need to be aligned with cultural values of the society (Kieran, 2003)

4. Autonomy of contemporary art

a.     The intrinsic value of contemporary art should be the basis for assessing its aesthetic merit (Carroll, 2004).

b.     The moral flaws of works of art must be separated from their aesthetic merits (Bermúdez and Gardner, 2003).

5. Ethical autonomism

a.     The practice of contemporary art need to be autonomous from the moral experiences of its creation (Carroll, 2000).

b.     The audience of contemporary art should refrain from personal emotions and desires unless they are appropriate to the art (Kieran, 2006).

6. Summary

1. Gaps in literature on the right way for conducting moral evaluation of works of contemporary art.
2. Contemporary art should be viewed in the context of ethical autonomism in order to assess its morality and to preserve its autonomy.

III.          Chapter 3: Methodology

A.    Introduction

i.               Chapter 3 will discuss and justify the research methods used for the study including the research design, settings, participants and methods of data collection and analysis.

B.    Research Design

1. Ethnography

a.     Descriptive studies will be conducted to do determine the cultural views of consumers of works of contemporary art, their experiences and commonalities.

C.    Research Questions

i.               As listed in chapter 1

D.    Setting

i.               Arts centers in London

E.    Participants

i.               Consumers of modern art