Question

Describe the difference between a moralist and autonomist view. Describe one particular moderate moralist view and give an example of when a work would be deemed to be immoral on that account.

Answer 1

These two are radically extreme and opposite positions traditionally taken with regard to the relationship between art and morality. Autonomism is a view that it is inappropriate to apply moral categories to artwork of any kind, whereas moralism is of the view that any aethetic object per se should also be critically evaluated through a moral point of view. Both are essentially refuted by scholars using different outlooks are said to be based on inadequate judgement of art and aesthetic value. The crucial difference between moderate autonomism and moderate moralism is that while both agree that moral judgments can be legitimately made about certain artworks, moderate moralists contend that sometimes such judgments are aesthetic evaluations, while moderate autonomists hold that moral judgments about works of art are always outside the realm of the aesthetic.A work would be deemed immoral on the account of only aetheticlally being evaluated and provision of no significance or importance to the moral judgement in that aspect.