Arbitrariness

In this article, I introduce a new concept called ‘arbitrariness’. A work’s arbitrariness tells us the degree of freedom the subject has when experiencing the work. Ontological arbitrariness tells us the degree of freedom the subject has to experience the work at all. If the subject exceeds that degree of freedom, they have not experienced the work. Normative arbitrariness tells us the degree of freedom the subject has to experience the work correctly. If the subject exceeds that degree of freedom, they have not experienced the work correctly. Arbitrariness can be used to compare works between and within media, and has a historical antecedent in Lessing’s ‘An Essay Upon the Limits of Painting and Poetry’. In this article, I introduce the concept, describe how it applies to different works, and how it may inform debates in contemporary aesthetics.