Normativity and Thick Aesthetic Concepts

Abstract

Thick aesthetic concepts such as ‘gracious’, ‘delicate’ and ‘virtuous’ are, according to the standard theory, characterised as both descriptive and evaluative. In the first part of this paper (I), I examine Sibley’s study of normativity with regard to his version of thick aesthetic concepts. In the second part (II), I concentrate on Zangwill’s recourse to Grice’s theory of implicature and the normative demands this move makes on the process. Finally (III), I develop a sketch that shows which contextual considerations precede the selection process of thick aesthetic concepts and how normative demands govern eventual selections.