Argument explores the aesthetic value of simplicity, addressing concerns about appreciation and agency.
I argue that some simple things are aesthetically valuable, or beautiful. I give an account of simple beauty as beauty in simplicity. I then address some suspicions about simple beauty. Some people allege that simple beauty is at odds with aesthetic agency. In fact, I argue, simple beauty promotes certain kinds of aesthetic agency. Others allege that simple things do not warrant sustained appreciation. I argue that simple beauties present existential truths that warrant sustained awareness because of their importance and our forgetfulness.
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John Dyck (2026) studied this question.
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