The cultural space of the arts and the infelicities of reductionism /

This book could have been written only by a senior and established philosopher late in his career. Margolis (Temple Univ.) has at his fingertips the aesthetics literature of the past 60 years. He is also conversant with the most important work in philosophy of mind and language, and he draws on all of this literature in this wide-ranging book. That said, the book is flawed. Its central claim is that works of art can only be understood and appreciated when they are seen in their full cultural context. He defends this claim against scientism and against the "piecemeal reductionists"--a category that embraces virtually every prominent contributor to contemporary aesthetics. This reviewer finds the concept of piecemeal reductionism unhelpful in understanding the main trends of contemporary philosophy of art. It is difficult to see many philosophers holding the views attributed to them. In this reviewer's experience, many philosophers have taken to heart the need to see works of art in their context. This new book comes across as rather eccentric, and reading it is no treat: many sentences can only be described as gargantuan. The book will add little to Margolis's very considerable reputation. Summing Up: Optional. Faculty and graduate students. J. O. Young University of Victoria