Work and the Aesthetic

Work and the Aesthetic argues for the priority of a work-centred account of aesthetic interest. This 'Work Theory' proposes an internal relation between good work as an activity and our aesthetic interest in made things. Each is conceptually related to the other so that to be good, work as an activity must engage aesthetic interest; and aesthetic interest in products, in making, viewing and using them, is an interest in different aspects of good work. Good work is characterised around three elements, the technical, functional, and authentic, which essentially relate to work that is skilful, responsive to design problems, and freely chosen. Work Theory has important antecedents in the Arts and Crafts Movement, modern conceptions of the work of designers, and in existentialist accounts of free choice. Work Theory's core tenet of an internal relation between good work and aesthetic interest throws light on some problematic areas in philosophical aesthetics, including the nature of aesthetic interest, the relations of craft to art, aesthetic education, and what is meant by 'everyday aesthetics'. Work Theory also provides a framework for understanding what it is for lives to be aesthetic.