Pinball isn't just bells, bumpers, and high scores. Philosopher Mark Silcox looks at why the game still has such a hold on us, exploring the odd pleasure of being drawn into the little world under the...

We miss out on something important about life and art if we want things to be constantly stimulating, interesting, and engaging.

Sean Baker’s film Anora tells a story about sex that stays sex-positive while also challenging our current, libertine sexual climate.

Sean Baker’s film Anora tells a story about sex that stays sex-positive while also challenging our current, libertine sexual climate.

Unraveling the mystery of yaoi manga, a genre designed for women and by women, but with no women in them.

Spotify and its bizarre, hyper-specific genres are rewriting how we understand music. Why? And should we bother fighting back?

University of Toronto philosopher Gwen Bradford discusses Haus der Kunst, a Nazi era building commission-turned-modern art museum.

The renowned portrait photographer reflects on his work, his relationship to philosophers, and the nature of portraiture.

Philosopher Barbara Montero, who has written widely on the body, talks about George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco.

Dedication to craft purifies living. But how pure is the kitchen of The Bear? Continue reading →

A media scholar explains autofiction and looks at how it is exemplified in Natalie Wynn's ContraPoints videos.

Taking a look at a never-before-seen letter from renowned philosopher and logician WVO Quine, plus outtakes from his portrait session with Steve Pyke

Tiki culture rests on a history of exploitation and appropriation. What does that mean for us today?

Adult Swim's style was messy, chaotic, and pointless. That's what makes it bad, but also what makes it great.

What's the best way to write alt text for artworks? Read our best practices guide, including four practical tips.

Five academics review "Cowboy Carter" from different angles: genre, place and community, politics and the market, and the boldness of Beyoncé herself. Continue reading →

How scientific experiments and instruments, and the scientific method itself, can be a source of aesthetic appreciation.

Pessoa writes that "Countless lives inhabit us." But what does that mean? Philosopher Jonardon Ganeri discusses.

Seven Gen Z and cusp-Millennials working in philosophy give their perspective on internet and TikTok-viral aesthetics. Continue reading →

A show about home baking should actually be about home baking. This one isn't.

This is entry #91 in our ongoing 100 Philosophers, 100 Artworks, 100 Words series. Philosopher: Nic Bommarito (Simon Fraser University) Artwork: Krazy Kat, George Herriman, 1913 until 1944 Words: Geor...

From the 1990s silver screen to the depths of the internet, here are our staff picks of 2023.

The artworld is not a place of equality. But if we input bias, we can only get biased outputs.

An aesthetics and philosophy of art blog for a general audience: theories, terms, art and cultural criticism, interviews, roundtables, news. Run by philosophers, with pieces by academics, artists, and...

When we ask questions about AI art, we are really asking why we care about art at all.

How Taylor Swift became this generation's Franz Liszt and James Joyce wrapped in one

Tons of people check a band's concert setlist beforehand. They don't realize that they're spoiling their own experience.

Philosopher Ray Briggs discusses Aaron Feltman's introspective painting "Self-Love and Sin, Gabrielle and Her Twin"

Most of us will never be superstars, but movies inspire us to pursue stardom. Is there anything wrong with that?

A philosopher tackles difficult themes in the JD Salinger short story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish"

If it seems impossible to turn abstract philosophical concepts and ideas into concrete images, think again.