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Full Idea
A person for whom it made no difference whether a sculpture was carved by wind and rain or by human hand would be unable to interpret or perceive sculptures - even though the interpretation of sculpture is not the reading of an intention.
Gist of Idea
Without intentions we can't perceive sculpture, but that is not the whole story
Source
Roger Scruton (Public Text and Common Reader [1982], p.15)
Book Ref
Scruton,Roger: 'The Aesthetic Understanding' [Methuen 1983], p.15
A Reaction
Scruton compares it to the role of intention in language, where there is objective meaning, even though intention is basic to speech.
| 12159 | Without intentions we can't perceive sculpture, but that is not the whole story [Scruton] |
| 12160 | In aesthetic interest, even what is true is treated as though it were not [Scruton] |
| 12161 | We can be objective about conventions, but love of art is needed to understand its traditions [Scruton] |
| 12162 | In literature, word replacement changes literary meaning [Scruton] |
| 12163 | Literary meaning emerges in comparisons, and tradition shows which comparisons are relevant [Scruton] |