Immorality and Transgressive Art: An Argument for Immoralism in the Philosophy of Art

Abstract The position of immoralism in analytic aesthetics and the philosophy of art holds that a work's moral defects can sometimes contribute to its artistic value. This position has suffered massive criticism in recent years. In support of immoralism, I present in this paper a new argument by examining immorality in the artistic genre of transgressive art. I argue that in the category of transgressive art, due to the nature of immorality that is a transgressive and liberating force against morality's authority, being immoral can contribute directly to an artwork's artistic value by contributing to the realization of its artistic aim.