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Definition:
The concept of catharsis is used in the field of aesthetics to describe what happens when
people are able to work through or eliminate negative emotions simply through an
aesthetic experience - for example, through watching a play or movie. The concept of
catharsis was first described by Aristotle in his definition of tragedy, found in the second of
his Poetics.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is Aesthetics?
In philosophy, aesthetics is the study of beauty and taste, whether in the form of the comic, the tragic or the sublime. Aesthetics has traditionally been part of other philosophical pursuits like the investigation of epistemology or ethics. However, it started to come into its own and become a more independent pursuit under Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher who saw aesthetics as a unitary and self-sufficient type of human experience.What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
