Are aesthetic properties real to the object or just the subjective response of the viewer?

In aesthetics, there is a debate about whether aesthetic properties, such as elegance and majesty, exist in objects or are merely the subjective response of the viewer. Aesthetic realism holds that aesthetic attributes exist objectively, while aesthetic antirealism holds that they are merely subjective responses.

 

In aesthetics, one of the debates about what are considered so-called aesthetic properties, such as elegance, majesty, and so on, is whether the properties to which we refer when we make aesthetic judgments about an object are real, that is, whether the aesthetic properties are present in the object. The two main views on this are aesthetic realism and aesthetic antirealism.
According to aesthetic realism, aesthetic properties are real in objects. This means that if an aesthetic judgment about an aesthetic property is objectively true, then the aesthetic property is real. For example, aesthetic realism holds that if we all agree on the aesthetic judgment that Beethoven’s Symphony of Destiny is majestic, then one of the actual properties of the Symphony of Destiny is majesty, because we all succeeded in perceiving it. This view emphasizes the objectivity of aesthetic judgments, claiming that aesthetic properties are entities that can be discovered through our perception.
However, it is possible that some of us might make aesthetic judgments about the symphony of fate that we are powerless over. Aesthetic realism explains that this is because some of us fail to see the true nature of the symphony of fate because of perceptual problems, such as their deafness, or lack of aesthetic sensitivity. Thus, aesthetic realism attributes inconsistencies in aesthetic judgments to the perceptual limitations or differences in aesthetic sensitivity of individual viewers. It stems from the belief that aesthetic judgments are based on objective facts, and it seeks to ground them in objective properties without excluding the diversity of aesthetic experience.
Aesthetic antirealism, on the other hand, does not recognize aesthetic properties as objectively present in objects. Aesthetic judgment is not about recognizing objective properties of an object, but about the subjective response of the viewer. The reason for the unity of aesthetic judgments about the Symphony of Destiny is that we have all formed similar aesthetic sensibilities and, as a result, reacted similarly to the music. In other words, the unity of aesthetic judgments is due to the fact that people with similar sensibilities reacted in a similar way. Aesthetic counterfactualism explains the inconsistency of aesthetic judgments by saying that people with different aesthetic sensibilities react differently to objects.
Despite these differences, aesthetic realism and aesthetic antirealism agree in that they both consider aesthetic judgments to be statements that require justification. When asked to justify their aesthetic judgment about the Symphony of Destiny, neither position would say that they cannot give reasons. What they do agree on is the idea that a statement about an aesthetic judgment is a proposition, and therefore needs to be supported by a reason.
In the end, aesthetic realism and aesthetic anti-realism offer different accounts of the nature of aesthetic experience and its evaluation, but they both recognize that aesthetic judgments cannot be explained in terms of being either entirely subjective or entirely objective. Each seeks to establish the validity of aesthetic judgment in its own way, and this remains an important issue in aesthetic discussion. Aesthetic realism emphasizes the objectivity of aesthetic properties, arguing that these properties can be discovered through human perception. Aesthetic antirealism, on the other hand, emphasizes the subjective nature of aesthetic experience, arguing that individual sensitivity and experience play a crucial role in aesthetic judgment. These debates are important contributions to a deeper understanding of the nature of aesthetic value and experience in aesthetics.