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Beauty
by Roger Scruton • 2009
From dinner tables to galleries, beauty is a rational demand we are ignoring.
3.95
3k+
Beauty Summary
Beauty 90%
From dinner tables to galleries, beauty is a rational demand we are ignoring.
by Roger Scruton 2009
3.95
3k+ ratings
Philosophy of Art
by Noël Carroll • 1999
Art defies every definition. A tour through the best philosophical attempts, and what survives.
3.88
204
Philosophy of Art Summary
Philosophy of Art 89%
Art defies every definition. A tour through the best philosophical attempts, and what survives.
by Noël Carroll 1999
3.88
204 ratings
Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics
by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel • 2004
Art makes truth visible, but the age when it could fully satisfy the spirit is over.
3.89
1k+
Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics Summary
Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics 89%
Art makes truth visible, but the age when it could fully satisfy the spirit is over.
by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 2004
3.89
1k+ ratings
History of Beauty
by Umberto Eco • 2004
Beauty was never absolute. Every era invents its own: from sacred light to industrial symmetry.
3.82
68k+
History of Beauty Summary
History of Beauty 89%
Beauty was never absolute. Every era invents its own: from sacred light to industrial symmetry.
by Umberto Eco 2004
3.82
68k+ ratings
The Substance of Style
by Virginia Postrel • 2003
The sensory qualities of things now rival price and performance as economic forces.
3.49
527
The Substance of Style Summary
The Substance of Style 88%
The sensory qualities of things now rival price and performance as economic forces.
by Virginia Postrel 2003
3.49
527 ratings
The Longing for Less
by Kyle Chayka • 2020
The clean lines of minimalism hide a messy history: Zen monks, art rebels, and $8,200 stereos.
3.45
1k+
The Longing for Less Summary
The Longing for Less 88%
The clean lines of minimalism hide a messy history: Zen monks, art rebels, and $8,200 stereos.
by Kyle Chayka 2020
3.45
1k+ ratings
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful
by Edmund Burke • 1757
Terror produces the sublime. Smoothness and delicacy produce the beautiful. Two instincts, not one.
3.69
3k+
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful Summary
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful 88%
Terror produces the sublime. Smoothness and delicacy produce the beautiful. Two instincts, not one.
by Edmund Burke 1757
3.69
3k+ ratings
Doorway to Artistry
by Esther Lightcap Meek • 2023
Reality isn't a dead object to control; it's extending an invitation, and your art proves it.
4.67
21
Doorway to Artistry Summary
Doorway to Artistry 88%
Reality isn't a dead object to control; it's extending an invitation, and your art proves it.
by Esther Lightcap Meek 2023
4.67
21 ratings
Astrazione e empatia
by Wilhelm Worringer • 1907
Primitive art wasn't clumsy. It was fleeing from the terror of space into geometry.
3.83
192
Astrazione e empatia Summary
Astrazione e empatia 88%
Primitive art wasn't clumsy. It was fleeing from the terror of space into geometry.
by Wilhelm Worringer 1907
3.83
192 ratings
How Proust Can Change Your Life
by Alain de Botton • 1998
The practical life advice hidden inside a 3,000-page French novel about memory and jealousy.
3.76
19k+
How Proust Can Change Your Life Summary
How Proust Can Change Your Life 88%
The practical life advice hidden inside a 3,000-page French novel about memory and jealousy.
by Alain de Botton 1998
3.76
19k+ ratings
Critique of Judgment
by Immanuel Kant • 1790
Beauty demands universal agreement from nothing more than your own private feeling.
4.10
10k+
Critique of Judgment Summary
Critique of Judgment 88%
Beauty demands universal agreement from nothing more than your own private feeling.
by Immanuel Kant 1790
4.10
10k+ ratings
The Man Without Content
by Giorgio Agamben • 1970
Plato banished poets for their power. Aesthetics made art safe, and the artist empty.
4.15
383
The Man Without Content Summary
The Man Without Content 88%
Plato banished poets for their power. Aesthetics made art safe, and the artist empty.
by Giorgio Agamben 1970
4.15
383 ratings
Art as Therapy
by Alain de Botton • 2013
Art as your emotional toolkit: how to find hope, memory, and balance without a therapist.
4.08
5k+
Art as Therapy Summary
Art as Therapy 87%
Art as your emotional toolkit: how to find hope, memory, and balance without a therapist.
by Alain de Botton 2013
4.08
5k+ ratings
Every Song Ever
by Ben Ratliff • 2016
Genre is a filing system, not a listening guide. Twenty perceptual filters for the streaming age.
3.29
910
Every Song Ever Summary
Every Song Ever 87%
Genre is a filing system, not a listening guide. Twenty perceptual filters for the streaming age.
by Ben Ratliff 2016
3.29
910 ratings
Concerning the Spiritual in Art
by Wassily Kandinsky • 1912
Abstract painting is not emptiness but a spiritual language more direct than any image.
3.83
93k+
Concerning the Spiritual in Art Summary
Concerning the Spiritual in Art 87%
Abstract painting is not emptiness but a spiritual language more direct than any image.
by Wassily Kandinsky 1912
3.83
93k+ ratings
What Is Art?
by Leo Tolstoy • 1897
Real art does one thing: transmit a feeling from artist to stranger. Everything else is decoration.
3.73
4k+
What Is Art? Summary
What Is Art? 87%
Real art does one thing: transmit a feeling from artist to stranger. Everything else is decoration.
by Leo Tolstoy 1897
3.73
4k+ ratings
Letters on Cézanne
by Rainer Maria Rilke • 1907
One poet's letters on Cézanne: how seeing becomes the artist's hardest and most honest work.
4.16
957
Letters on Cézanne Summary
Letters on Cézanne 87%
One poet's letters on Cézanne: how seeing becomes the artist's hardest and most honest work.
by Rainer Maria Rilke 1907
4.16
957 ratings
How to Read and Why
by Harold Bloom • 2000
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
3.61
4k+
How to Read and Why Summary
How to Read and Why 87%
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
by Harold Bloom 2000
3.61
4k+ ratings
The Birth of Tragedy
by Friedrich Nietzsche • 1871
Greek tragedy died of rationalism, a suicide a culture is still paying for.
3.98
22k+
The Birth of Tragedy Summary
The Birth of Tragedy 87%
Greek tragedy died of rationalism, a suicide a culture is still paying for.
by Friedrich Nietzsche 1871
3.98
22k+ ratings
The Arts and the Creation of Mind
by Elliot W. Eisner • 2002
Schools treat art as a break from thinking. It's the most demanding thinking students do.
4.32
191
The Arts and the Creation of Mind Summary
The Arts and the Creation of Mind 87%
Schools treat art as a break from thinking. It's the most demanding thinking students do.
by Elliot W. Eisner 2002
4.32
191 ratings
Shakespeare's Freedom
by Stephen Greenblatt • 2010
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
3.83
175
Shakespeare's Freedom Summary
Shakespeare's Freedom 87%
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
by Stephen Greenblatt 2010
3.83
175 ratings
The Strength to Dream
by Colin Wilson • 1962
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
3.93
123
The Strength to Dream Summary
The Strength to Dream 87%
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
by Colin Wilson 1962
3.93
123 ratings
Wabi Sabi
by Nobuo Suzuki • 2021
A Japanese philosophy that trades perfectionism for the beauty of cracks, age, and letting go.
4.20
1k+
Wabi Sabi Summary
Wabi Sabi 87%
A Japanese philosophy that trades perfectionism for the beauty of cracks, age, and letting go.
by Nobuo Suzuki 2021
4.20
1k+ ratings
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist
by Orhan Pamuk • 2010
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
3.95
3k+
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist Summary
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist 87%
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
by Orhan Pamuk 2010
3.95
3k+ ratings
The Poet's Guide to Life
by Rainer Maria Rilke • 2005
Rilke's letters become a field guide: how to turn solitude and loss into a deeper life.
4.12
368
The Poet's Guide to Life Summary
The Poet's Guide to Life 87%
Rilke's letters become a field guide: how to turn solitude and loss into a deeper life.
by Rainer Maria Rilke 2005
4.12
368 ratings
Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime
by Immanuel Kant • 2004
Kant's early map: everything in human life divides between awe and joy, from love to nations.
3.53
1k+
Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime Summary
Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime 87%
Kant's early map: everything in human life divides between awe and joy, from love to nations.
by Immanuel Kant 2004
3.53
1k+ ratings
Tragedy and Hope
by Carroll Quigley • 1966
Art turned ugly, stopped making sense, and became useless. That was its last honest act.
4.32
917
Tragedy and Hope Summary
Tragedy and Hope 87%
Art turned ugly, stopped making sense, and became useless. That was its last honest act.
by Carroll Quigley 1966
4.32
917 ratings
Japonisme
by Erin Niimi Longhurst • 2018
Seven Japanese concepts to find purpose, embrace imperfection, and build a calmer life.
3.74
3k+
Japonisme Summary
Japonisme 87%
Seven Japanese concepts to find purpose, embrace imperfection, and build a calmer life.
by Erin Niimi Longhurst 2018
3.74
3k+ ratings
The Creative Act
by Rick Rubin • 2023
You were born creative. The real work is learning to listen to what wants to come through.
3.95
89k+
The Creative Act Summary
The Creative Act 87%
You were born creative. The real work is learning to listen to what wants to come through.
by Rick Rubin 2023
3.95
89k+ ratings
Hertzian Tales
by Anthony Dunne • 1999
Electronic objects are behavioral scripts and portals to a hidden electromagnetic world.
4.26
125
Hertzian Tales Summary
Hertzian Tales 87%
Electronic objects are behavioral scripts and portals to a hidden electromagnetic world.
by Anthony Dunne 1999
4.26
125 ratings
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
by Walter Benjamin • 1936
Why does a perfect copy feel less real? Benjamin's answer upends art and politics.
4.08
25k+
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Summary
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 87%
Why does a perfect copy feel less real? Benjamin's answer upends art and politics.
by Walter Benjamin 1936
4.08
25k+ ratings
Lost in Math
by Sabine Hossenfelder • 2018
Theoretical physics is stuck. The culprit isn't bad math, but a fixation on elegant theories.
4.05
3k+
Lost in Math Summary
Lost in Math 87%
Theoretical physics is stuck. The culprit isn't bad math, but a fixation on elegant theories.
by Sabine Hossenfelder 2018
4.05
3k+ ratings
Why Poetry
by Matthew Zapruder • 2017
The case for reading poems exactly as they are: literally, without hunting for hidden meanings.
4.16
1k+
Why Poetry Summary
Why Poetry 87%
The case for reading poems exactly as they are: literally, without hunting for hidden meanings.
by Matthew Zapruder 2017
4.16
1k+ ratings
The Shape of Design
by Frank Chimero • 2012
Great design isn't about pixels or grids. It's about why we make things and for whom.
3.90
1k+
The Shape of Design Summary
The Shape of Design 87%
Great design isn't about pixels or grids. It's about why we make things and for whom.
by Frank Chimero 2012
3.90
1k+ ratings
For the Beauty of the Church
by W. David O. Taylor • 2010
God planted beauty before obedience. Why the church cannot afford to sideline its artists.
4.00
276
For the Beauty of the Church Summary
For the Beauty of the Church 87%
God planted beauty before obedience. Why the church cannot afford to sideline its artists.
by W. David O. Taylor 2010
4.00
276 ratings
Goodbye, Things
by Fumio Sasaki • 2015
Your possessions are an invisible to-do list. The Japanese case for owning less.
3.80
45k+
Goodbye, Things Summary
Goodbye, Things 87%
Your possessions are an invisible to-do list. The Japanese case for owning less.
by Fumio Sasaki 2015
3.80
45k+ ratings
The Art of Travel
by Alain de Botton • 2002
A change of scenery cannot cure what you carry inside. Travel is an art of attention.
3.82
26k+
The Art of Travel Summary
The Art of Travel 87%
A change of scenery cannot cure what you carry inside. Travel is an art of attention.
by Alain de Botton 2002
3.82
26k+ ratings
Joyful
by Ingrid Fetell Lee • 2018
Color, curves, and a window with a view: ten physical switches that lift any room's mood.
3.85
11k+
Joyful Summary
Joyful 87%
Color, curves, and a window with a view: ten physical switches that lift any room's mood.
by Ingrid Fetell Lee 2018
3.85
11k+ ratings
Wabi Sabi
by Beth Kempton • 2018
A Japanese philosophy prizing the cracked, weathered, and incomplete. Its lesson for modern anxiety.
3.90
8k+
Wabi Sabi Summary
Wabi Sabi 86%
A Japanese philosophy prizing the cracked, weathered, and incomplete. Its lesson for modern anxiety.
by Beth Kempton 2018
3.90
8k+ ratings
A Beautiful Question
by Frank Wilczek • 2015
From Pythagoras to quantum theory, a Nobel laureate shows beauty was always the compass of physics.
3.87
2k+
A Beautiful Question Summary
A Beautiful Question 86%
From Pythagoras to quantum theory, a Nobel laureate shows beauty was always the compass of physics.
by Frank Wilczek 2015
3.87
2k+ ratings
The Architecture of Happiness
by Alain de Botton • 2006
The buildings we love don't just look good. They model the person we want to be.
3.86
15k+
The Architecture of Happiness Summary
The Architecture of Happiness 86%
The buildings we love don't just look good. They model the person we want to be.
by Alain de Botton 2006
3.86
15k+ ratings
The Visual Story
by Bruce Block • 2021
How to align visual structure with story: seven components, one law, and a shot-by-shot system.
4.67
3
The Visual Story Summary
The Visual Story 86%
How to align visual structure with story: seven components, one law, and a shot-by-shot system.
by Bruce Block 2021
4.67
3 ratings
Listen
by Michel Faber • 2023
Your music taste isn't universal. It's a tribal signal, a traded commodity, and a social weapon.
3.30
374
Listen Summary
Listen 86%
Your music taste isn't universal. It's a tribal signal, a traded commodity, and a social weapon.
by Michel Faber 2023
3.30
374 ratings
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
by Andy Warhol • 1975
The most exciting thing is the thing you never do, and the best art is a dollar bill.
3.85
49k+
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol Summary
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol 86%
The most exciting thing is the thing you never do, and the best art is a dollar bill.
by Andy Warhol 1975
3.85
49k+ ratings
Silence and Beauty
by Makoto Fujimura • 2016
Japanese Christians trampled Christ's image to survive. The worn faces became his truest portrait.
4.16
805
Silence and Beauty Summary
Silence and Beauty 86%
Japanese Christians trampled Christ's image to survive. The worn faces became his truest portrait.
by Makoto Fujimura 2016
4.16
805 ratings
Dr. Seuss and Philosophy
by Jacob M. Held • 2011
Philosophy hid on your childhood shelf. Horton on knowledge, the Lorax on ethics, Yertle on power.
4.14
441
Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Summary
Dr. Seuss and Philosophy 86%
Philosophy hid on your childhood shelf. Horton on knowledge, the Lorax on ethics, Yertle on power.
by Jacob M. Held 2011
4.14
441 ratings
The Art of Life
by Zygmunt Bauman • 2008
Getting richer made us shoppers, not happier, and forced endless self-reinvention without ethics.
3.76
872
The Art of Life Summary
The Art of Life 86%
Getting richer made us shoppers, not happier, and forced endless self-reinvention without ethics.
by Zygmunt Bauman 2008
3.76
872 ratings
The Art Spirit
by Robert Henri • 1929
Art isn't a specialist's skill: it's a way of being. Henri's 1929 manifesto still startles.
3.87
27k+
The Art Spirit Summary
The Art Spirit 86%
Art isn't a specialist's skill: it's a way of being. Henri's 1929 manifesto still startles.
by Robert Henri 1929
3.87
27k+ ratings
The Joy of Missing Out
by Svend Brinkmann • 2017
Why the good life requires saying no: a philosopher's case for self-restraint over accumulation.
3.61
1k+
The Joy of Missing Out Summary
The Joy of Missing Out 86%
Why the good life requires saying no: a philosopher's case for self-restraint over accumulation.
by Svend Brinkmann 2017
3.61
1k+ ratings
Analyser un film, de l'émotion à l'interprétation
by Laurent Jullier • 2012
Great films work on you before you understand them. The method for closing that gap.
3.33
21
Analyser un film, de l'émotion à l'interprétation Summary
Analyser un film, de l'émotion à l'interprétation 86%
Great films work on you before you understand them. The method for closing that gap.
by Laurent Jullier 2012
3.33
21 ratings
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