THL 1501 SOLUTION FOR ASSIGNMENT 2 2023

A cultural object is dependent for its existence on the actions of human agents. It cannot exist without some form of human activity. A natural object, on the other hand, is not dependent on human beings for its existence: it would exist and have the properties it does have even if human agents did not Exist. The most important difference between natural and cultural objects is that natural objects would exist even if there were no human beings. Natural objects are not created by humans,they are part of a physical or natural world. Cultural objects are the products of human activity. Cultural objects exist because human beings create them. Cultural objects have purpose and meaning. Cultural objects often perform a function and add value to a society. Aesthetics fall under cultural objects; they are a special kind of cultural object. Examples of natural objects: grass, the ocean, strawberries growing in the field, butterflies and clouds. Examples of cultural objects: cooking pots, clothing, sewing machines, musical instruments and sports equipment. 1.2 Aesthetic objects are a sub-section of cultural objects; they are one type of cultural object. • These are natural or physical objects. • These are meaningful objects; in that they have been endowed with meaning by a human • agent. • This is a cultural object insofar as it is used for the practical purposes of a human agent. • Work as a whole is a cultural object. The stones have been used for the aesthetic purposes of a human agent. But what does `aesthetic purpose' mean? And does using an object with an aesthetic purpose brings it about that the object is an aesthetic object? Historically, the problem emerged for literary theory because it could not define itself as a theory unless it defined its object. Conceptually, the problem emerges because there are no agreed-upon criteria for using the word `aesthetic'. This is a subjectivist view because it asserts that beauty is not an objective feature of the object itself, but rather is a feature attributed to the object by people – thinking subjects. If everyone uses the terms beauty= and beautiful= differently, it will be impossible to arrive at a precise definition.