Debates on Aesthetic Attitude: History and Problem

The problem of the aesthetic attitude has occupied one of the central places in the aesthetic theory of the 20th century. Today there were three main traditions of her judgment: Anglo-American, continental and soviet. In article the main arguments of supporters and critics of the concept of "the aesthetic attitude" in the Anglo-American aesthetic theory (E. Bullough, J. Stolnitz, M. Cohen, G. Dickie), and also their position in a question of "disinterestedness" as correlate of "the aesthetic attitude" are considered. J. Stolnitz was one of the main adherents of the theory of aesthetic attitude, and this article pays attention to the analysis of J. Stolnitz's arguments. Author notes that much of the debates on the aesthetic attitude in Anglo-American aesthetics is linked with empirical and psychological approach. Discussion on the nature of the aesthetic attitude was fruitful and it allowed to reveal new aspects of classical problems in aesthetics what is art, are there any aesthetic qualities, what is aesthetic object. Moreover, it was during this discussion that the concept of disinterestedness lost its power to explain the nature of aesthetic attitude. The author claims that further development of problems of aesthetic attitude is closely related to questions on the nature of aesthetic experience. Some statements on the role of development of the aesthetic theory in the context of questions on the nature of aesthetic attitude are drawn in conclusion.