ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the admission that the romantic doctrine, art pour l'art, is not only no longer true; it has never been true. The proclamation that art must be free of social constraints and that the artist should be unencumbered by obligations to the surrounding society mistakes the condition of artistic and aesthetic activity for its essence. For while the arts are an integral part of the social order, their social value rests on the preservation of artistic freedom. The stratum underlying art conceived as a social institution is the rich medium of creative and appreciative activity that makes up the domain of artistic–aesthetic experience. The fundamental normative issue is, then, not the criticism of art objects, as such, but the social evaluation of the art process, the evaluation of art's social function. The social value of the arts is greatest when they follow their own genius free of social and political constraints.
