Our second episode is on Hegel's Aesthetics. In this text, Hegel provides a philosophical framework for understanding the nature and development of art. Hegel believes art represents the ideal, it is the perfect embodiment of truth and beauty. Hegel explores the relationship between art and the public.

This season on aesthetics kicks off with an essay on the nature of beauty, written by Ancient Greek philosopher Plotinus. Plotinus argues against the tendency of language to conceal truth, and promotes the pursuit of understanding over mere verbal analysis. It explores the nature of beauty, first by examining how beauty manifests in physical objects and then by examining the beauty of the soul. Plotinus ultimately argues that true beauty lies in the realm of intellect, a realm of pure and perfect being that is accessible only to those who have purified their souls.

Albert Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus" discusses the concept of the absurd and how it relates to various aspects of human existence. Camus argues that the absurd is a fundamental truth of life, acknowledging that life has no inherent meaning, yet choosing to live with this understanding.

In Albert Camus novel, The Stranger, the protagonist Meursault faces emotional detachment and his reaction to his mother's death. There is a theme of absurdity as Mersault faces his trial for murder.

Nietzsche, through the voice of his fictional prophet Zarathustra, explores the themes of individualism, the Superman, the will to power, and the transvaluation of values. In the novel, Zarathustra criticizes conventional morality and traditional religion, proposing a new morality based on self-overcoming and the affirmation of life. He emphasizes the importance of the body and the will to power as driving forces for human evolution and asserts that true joy lies in the eternal return of all things.

Friedrich Nietzsche's The Gay Science is a collection of aphorisms and poems. Nietzsche explores the will to power, the revaluation of values, and the nature of truth. He critiques traditional morality, religion, and philosophical ideas, arguing for a new way of thinking that embraces the inherent contradictions and complexities of existence. He celebrates a life of creative self-overcoming, living dangerously, and challenging societal norms, all while recognizing the importance of art and the "gay science" in making life bearable.

In "Existentialism is a Humanism", Jean-Paul Sartre questions the meaning of abandonment, anguish, and despair. He argues "existence precedes essence" meaning we create our own identities and must take full responsibility for who they become.

Sartre's Being and Nothingness focuses on the concept of consciousness, which Sartre terms the For-itself, in relation to being, which he calls the In-itself. Sartre contrasts the For-itself with the In-itself, which is full, complete, and without nothingness. He then examines how consciousness, through negation, reveals being to itself, leading to concepts such as lack, possibility, and temporality. Sartre also discusses the relationship between consciousness and the body, suggesting that the body acts as a medium for consciousness to experience the world and that the body itself is subjected to the same nihilating processes as consciousness.