ABSTRACT. The special issue of the journal Knowledge Cultures on the theme of Aesthetic Knowledge explores different ways in which human beings understand the world through aesthetic media. Some of these media are openly artistic in nature, such as music. Other aesthetic media are closer to design, or in a more general sense, to shape, pattern and form. Whether aesthetics is contained in an art gallery or a concert hall, or whether it forms part of the everyday world, it is a way of knowing the world through figure, outline, and structure rather than through the more conventional means of knowing that are language-focused, declarative, indexical, or discursive. The special journal issue explores what happens when we think about the world and its institutions aesthetically rather than textually or declaratively. It addresses the kinds of cities, organizations, education, and arts that we end up with when we approach things in an aesthetic manner. pp. 11–15

Keywords: aesthetics; knowledge; art; design; culture; beauty; music; sound art; tragedy; authenticity

How to cite: Murphy, Peter (2015), “Introduction: Aesthetic Knowledge,” Knowledge Cultures 3(3): 11– 15