In this monograph Paul Crowther seeks to overcome some of the antagonistic positions taken in recent debates about postmodernism. He addresses such issues as the relation between art and politics, artistic creativity, and sublimity and the postmodern sensibility. His analysis of these themes centres on the interplay between what is constant and what is historically variable in human experience.

`these books ... will become necessary reading for aestheticians and twentieth-century art historians. Earnest, clear, and direct almost to a fault ... His work on embodiment seems to me an important corrective to textualisms both deconstructive and new historicist, and his re-casting of Kant offers a workable contemporary version of idealist aesthetics' Charles Altieri, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism `This is the first volume of an impressive project on the relation of art, philosophy and social change. It is recommended reading material for all those aestheticians who are interested in the cognitive and non-cognitive functionality of art works and in the possibility of any influence of art on societal change ... this book puts into perspective with clear and convincing argument the creation and appreciation of art and its relation to society, and it critically appraises several relevant philosophical theories heaping proper scorn on postmodernist frivolousness.' Rob V. Gerwen, Utrecht University 'refreshingly critical introductions to questions of philosophical aesthetics ... a well-argued critique of the intellectual scepticism of Derrida ... I applaud the scope and clarity of Crowther's project; at every step he reviews and summarizes his argument. Such a global undertaking is rare in these days of more tenative scholarship ... His ultimate success or failure will depend in part on the second half of this project ... but such an attempt should attract wide engagement and be given more attention than I am able to provide within the limits of a short review.' Simon Shaw-Miller, University of Manchester, Art History, Volume 17, Number 2, June 1994 'This volume is unreservedly applauded for its breadth of vision, the rigour of its theoretical challenge, and its cogency of argument, and the next volume of this ambitious and stimulating aesthetic enterprise, Art and Embodiment, is eagerly anticipated.' Tim Woods, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, British Journal of Aesthetics, Vol. 34, No. 6, Oct .94 'His arguments are lucid, clearly stated and, above all, absorbing ... a welcome contribution to a subject area of philosophy which straddles many disciplines ... Students of the visual arts and of their theory would do well to verse themselves in this kind of work.' Edward Winters, University of Westminster, The Philosophical Quarterly 1995