John Dewey's Theory of Aesthetic Experience and the Confluence of Art and Science

In this dissertation, I examine the relationship between art and science through aesthetic experiencing. The topic is discussed from the viewpoint of philosophical naturalism and in the specific framework of John Dewey’s philosophical pragmatism. In this context, the evolutionary and organic underpinnings of life are seen as giving rise to all forms of human aspiration, activity, and experience. More specifically, an experiential link between various human endeavours – such as the artistic and the scientific, for example – is established in Dewey’s works. The motivation for this dissertation arises from the fact that while Dewey examines in detail the common ground of art and science, he does not extensively explore the possibilities and the consequences of further alignments between the two disciplines. Against this backdrop – and on the basis of the Deweyan foundation – I put forth specific suggestions about such further connections and developments. Accordingly, this work builds upon and augments Dewey’s philosophical project. This dissertation consists of four parts: an introduction, followed by three scientific articles published in academic journals. In the introduction and in the first article, I introduce Dewey’s philosophical stance and explain the way it has been interpreted in this dissertation. Moreover, based on this interpretation, I posit that Dewey’s conception of aesthetic experience can be seen as bridging the gap between art and science. In the following two articles, I focus on specific instances that illuminate this convergence. First, I examine conceptual art and inquire how the human capacity for conceptualisation can potentially incorporate into an aesthetic experience of art. Second, I explore the experiential phenomenon of vagueness and the aesthetic similarity of managing it in the contexts of fine art and mathematics. The present-day relevance of this dissertation stems from developments that have taken place in arts and sciences during the last century. Contemporary art especially incorporates expansions that fundamentally depart from the traditions of art that have persisted for millennia. Uncovering shared experiential factors that influence and possibly align various novel expansions across different fields of interest is relevant for understanding the broader forefront of human innovation and advancement in contemporary times.

Grantor dc:publisher

Helsingin yliopisto

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Ruoppa, Raine

• estetiikka

Statement dc:rights

• This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
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Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10138/588937

OAI record oai:identifier

https://helda.helsinki.fi/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Ahelda.helsinki.fi%3A10138%2F588937