Monroe Beardsley facts for kids

Monroe Curtis Beardsley (born December 10, 1915 – died September 18, 1985) was an American philosopher who studied art. He was known for his ideas about how we experience art and how we should understand it.

About His Life

Monroe Beardsley was born and grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He went to Yale University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1936 and his Ph.D. in 1939.

He taught at several colleges and universities during his career. He spent 22 years teaching at Swarthmore College and 16 years at Temple University. His wife, Elizabeth Lane Beardsley, was also a philosopher at Temple University, and they sometimes wrote together.

His Main Ideas About Art

Beardsley was famous for his work in a field called aesthetics, which is the study of art and beauty. He strongly supported the idea of instrumentalism in art. This means he believed that art is a tool or a way to achieve something, especially to give us a special aesthetic experience. An aesthetic experience is the unique feeling or understanding you get when you interact with a piece of art, like a painting, a song, or a story.

He also made important contributions to literary criticism, which is the study and evaluation of literature. With his colleague W.K. Wimsatt, he wrote two very famous essays: "The Intentional Fallacy" and "The Affective Fallacy." These essays were key parts of a movement called New Criticism.

• The Intentional Fallacy: This idea suggests that when we try to understand a piece of art, we shouldn't focus too much on what the artist originally intended or meant. Instead, we should focus on the artwork itself and what it communicates on its own.
• The Affective Fallacy: This idea argues that we shouldn't judge a piece of art mainly by how it makes us feel personally. The emotional response of the reader or viewer isn't the most important way to decide if the art is good or meaningful.

These ideas encouraged people to look closely at the text or artwork itself, rather than guessing about the artist's thoughts or focusing only on personal feelings.

His Books and Writings

Monroe Beardsley wrote several important books that helped people understand philosophy and art better. Some of his well-known books include:

• Practical Logic (published in 1950)
• Aesthetics (published in 1958), which was an introductory book for students
• Aesthetics: A Short History (published in 1966)

He also edited a popular collection of writings by famous European philosophers, called The European Philosophers from Descartes to Nietzsche.

In 1956, Beardsley was chosen to be the president of the American Society for Aesthetics. Later, in 1976, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which is a great honor for scholars.