An empathic ethic as a foundation for non-anthropomorphic aesthetic appreciation of animals

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21501/23461780.4788

Keywords:

Aesthetic, Animals, Anthropomorphism, Appreciation, Empathy, Ethic

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to analyze the bases of an aesthetic appreciation of animals in a non-anthropomorphic key that allows us to value animals in their own terms. Other appreciations have an anthropomorphic foundation, such as understanding animals from the artistic model or from our evolutionary needs. The context of this research is twofold: on the one hand, the dominant anthropomorphic attitude in modern culture, and, on the other hand, the new artistic and cultural initiatives far from the understanding of the human being as the center of all that exists. The methodology employed in this study is hermeneutic and dialectic. Hermeneutic because it aims above all to understand these new animalistic aesthetic manifestations, and dialectic because to understand them we establish a critical debate with the previous anthropocentric positions. The conclusion of the work is that the non-anthropomorphistic aesthetic appreciation of animals can only be based on an animalistic ethics. To achieve this, first, it is necessary to be aware of our anthropomorphic tendency. And, secondly, it is necessary to adopt an empathic ethic that allows us access to the point of view of animals, because only in this way will we be able to perceive them in themselves.

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Author Biography

Carmen Gutiérrez-Jordano, Universidad de Sevilla

Máster Universitario en Arte: Idea y Producción, Universidad de Sevilla. Investigadora del grupo Observatorio de paisajes–HUM841-, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla-España. Correo electrónico: carmengutierrezjordano@gmail.com, cgutierrez@us.es, ORCID: https://orcid.org/2209-0990-0002-0000

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Published

2024-06-07

How to Cite

Gutiérrez-Jordano, C. (2024). An empathic ethic as a foundation for non-anthropomorphic aesthetic appreciation of animals. Perseitas, 12, 246–272. https://doi.org/10.21501/23461780.4788