ABSTRACT
This chapter throws light on the basic distinctions between R. G. Collingwood’s theory of art discussed in The Principles of Art (1938) and G. E. Moore’s idea of goodness dealt with in Principia Ethica (1908). The author juxtaposes Collingwood’s theory of art with Moore’s theory of goodness and brings out the strengths and fallacies of their arguments. In addition, the chapter deliberates on the relationship between aesthetics and ethics. The chapter finds Collingwood’s arguments on the relationship between ethics and aesthetics more theoretically grounded, as Collingwood’s perception about the difference between good and bad art is systematic: A work of art is bad when it fails to express “a given emotion”. Nevertheless, the author feels that Collingwood is guilty of oversimplification of ideas and is unable to separate psychology from aesthetics, which Moore steers clear of. The chapter gives a part-by-part analysis of the philosophical difference between aesthetics and ethics and not only compares the works of Moore and Collingwood but also critiques their individual stances and the philosophical systems they adhere to.
