Cognitive Function of Art: Comparison of Nelson Goodman's Views And Monroe Beardsley With An Analysis of Selected Photographs by Lewis Hine

In some theories of aesthetics, the function of art is to know the outside world so that it can find a status in line In some theories of aesthetics, the function of art is to know the outside world so that it can find a status in line with other sciences. One of these theories that considers cognitive function as a value for art is Nelson Goodman's symbolic theory.To create the cognitive function of art, Goodman turns to the symbolic system, which he has adapted from linguistic functions. Through linguistic approaches and especially the reference relationship in the symbolic system, he can consider works of art as a tool for cognition that transmits knowledge. In this regard, Monroe Beardsley, another art philosopher who disagrees with cognitive function. He believes that the function of art is defined as the capacity of the work to create an aesthetic experience that results from qualities such as the intensity, unity, and Complex and takes a stand against Goodman's theory. He believes that works of art, like sentences, cannot be a vehicle for propositions and find value in truth. They can only create a good interpretation in the form of art, regardless of the hypothesis and the conditions of truth. The disagreement between the two philosophers is analyzed them with case study in a selected Lewis Hine’s a photo that makes propositions based on reality. In this research, by analyzing these photographs based on the views of Goodman and Beardsley, it has been determined that the arts are not able to find cognitive function like other sciences, and as a result, it is better to go to the properties and capacities of art in order to create value for them.This can be a weakness for Goodman's theory, just as it can be a strength of Beardsley's theory. Perhaps we realize some of the values of truth within the work of art through conjecture, but there is no definite criterion; because works of art do not express anything explicitly. The conditions of truth in works of art are not decisive and strong and they are not considered original rulings. Propositions attributed to works of art are, rather than judgmental, mental states of aesthetic interpretations that are expressed. Thus, it contrary Goodman's theory, aesthetic interpretations lack the conditions for truth in meaning. It seems that in order to create value in a work of art, one must look for the value that exists within the work, and that is the aesthetic value. As Beardsley sees aesthetic value as an aesthetic experience that arises only from the qualities within the work. The purpose of this research is to investigate the efficiency or inefficiency of art in creating a knowledge of the world that most critics and audiences expect from the representation of art. In this research, data is collected through library study and Internet search, then describe and analyze them in accordance with Hine’s selected works as a case study.