Dreariness of aesthetics (continued), with a remedy

In 1951, J. A. Passmore shamelessly titled an essay "The Dreariness of Aesthetics." Drawing on John Wisdom's earlier complaints, he denounced aesthetics' dullness, its pretentiousness, and the fact that it was "peculiarly unilluminating." What Passmore had in mind were the vapid abstractions and metaphysical hyperbole involved in "saying nothing in the most pretentious possible way"; he thought aesthetics wasn't in touch enough with the real world of the specific, different arts. He was right. But while in the intervening years aesthetics has changed course and this complaint has largely been heeded, Passmore's uncompromising title can still provoke a ripple of embarrassment among aestheticians who suspect that the accusation might be true.