Question 1

Explain what Santayana means when he says, "Beauty exists for the same reason that the object which is beautiful exists, or the world in which that object lies, or we that look upon both. It is an experience: there is nothing more to say about it." Do you agree with Santayana? Explain your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain what Santayana means when he says,...

Question 2

Schopenhauer says that "all the arts speak only the naive and childish language of perception, not the abstract and serious language of ___________; their answer is therefore a fleeting image: not permanent and general knowledge."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer believed that art communicates through perception and imagery rather than through abstract reasoning or reflection.

Question 3

Schopenhauer says, "Thus all the other arts hold up to the questioner a perceptible image, and say, 'Look here, this is life.' Their answer, however correct it may be, will yet always afford merely a temporary, not a complete and final, satisfaction. For they always give merely a fragment, an example instead of the rule, not the whole, which can only be given in the universality of the ..."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer is arguing that other arts can only give a partial understanding of life through examples or fragments. Therefore, the complete and final satisfaction of understanding life can only be achieved through a universal conception. Choice B, "conception," reflects this idea best.

Question 4

Schopenhauer says, "Every work of art accordingly really aims at showing us life and things as they are in ______, but cannot be directly discerned by every one through the mist of objective and subjective contingencies."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer believed that art aimed to show us life and things as they truly are, free from the distortions of both objective and subjective contingencies. In other words, art reveals a deeper truth about reality that is not immediately apparent to us in our everyday experiences. Therefore, the best choice is A, truth.

Question 5

Schopenhauer says, "The cooperation of the beholder, which is referred to above, as demanded for the enjoyment of a work of art, depends partly upon the fact that every work of art can only produce its effect through the medium of the fancy; therefore it must excite this, and can never allow it to be left out of the play and remain inactive. This is a condition of the __________ effect, and therefore a fundamental law of all fine arts."

Accepted Answer

The quote is discussing the enjoyment of a work of art and the cooperation required from the viewer. Schopenhauer refers to the "aesthetic effect" which is only achievable through the activation of the viewer's imagination or fancy. Therefore, the correct answer is D, aesthetic.

Question 6

Schopenhauer says, "From the fundamental aesthetical law we are speaking of, it is further to be explained why wax figures never produce an aesthetic effect, and therefore are not properly works of fine art, although it is just in them that the imitation of nature is able to reach its highest grade. For they leave nothing for the ..."

Accepted Answer

According to Schopenhauer, wax figures do not produce an aesthetic effect because they leave nothing for the imagination to do.

Question 7

Schopenhauer says that "all the arts speak only the naive and childish language of perception, not the abstract and serious language of ontology; their answer is therefore a fleeting image: not permanent and general knowledge."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer actually states the opposite in his philosophy. He believes that art, especially music, transcends the individual and particular to touch upon the universal essence of reality, providing a form of knowledge that is different from, but not inferior to, the conceptual knowledge of science and philosophy. He values art for its ability to communicate aspects of the world and human existence that lie beyond the reach of rational analysis and conceptual language.

Question 8

Schopenhauer says, "Thus all the other arts hold up to the questioner a perceptible image, and say, 'Look here, this is life.' Their answer, however correct it may be, will yet always afford merely a temporary, not a complete and final, satisfaction. For they always give merely a fragment, an example instead of the rule, not the whole, which can only be given in the universality of the conception."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer argues that other arts offer a temporary satisfaction by presenting a perceptible image of life, but only philosophy can offer a complete and final satisfaction by providing a universal conception of the whole.

Question 9

Schopenhauer says, "Every work of art accordingly really aims at showing us life and things as they are in vitro, but cannot be directly discerned by every one through the mist of objective and subjective contingencies."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer did not use the term "in vitro" in this context. His philosophy suggests that art allows us to see the essence or idea of things beyond the individual, subjective experiences, but he does not use the term "in vitro," which is more commonly associated with laboratory experiments.

Question 10

Schopenhauer says, "The cooperation of the beholder, which is referred to above, as demanded for the enjoyment of a work of art, depends partly upon the fact that every work of art can only produce its effect through the medium of the fancy; therefore it must excite this, and can never allow it to be left out of the play and remain inactive. This is a condition of the aesthetic effect, and therefore a fundamental law of all fine arts."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer argues that the enjoyment of a work of art depends on the cooperation of the beholder and their imagination or "fancy." The work of art must excite the imagination in order to produce an aesthetic effect, making this a fundamental law of all fine arts.

Question 11

Schopenhauer says, "From the fundamental aesthetical law we are speaking of, it is further to be explained why wax figures never produce an aesthetic effect, and therefore are not properly works of fine art, although it is just in them that the imitation of nature is able to reach its highest grade. For they leave nothing for the historian to interpret."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer actually argues that wax figures do not produce an aesthetic effect because they imitate nature too perfectly, leaving no room for the imagination or interpretation, not because they leave nothing for the historian to interpret. His focus is on the role of the viewer's imagination in engaging with art, rather than on historical interpretation.

Question 12

Explain what Schopenhauer means when he says, "all the arts speak only the naive and childish language of perception, not the abstract and serious language of reflection; their answer is therefore a fleeting image: not permanent and general knowledge." Do you agree with Schopenhauer?

Accepted Answer