Yuriko Saito’s Criticism of Kant’s Conception of the Beautiful

Abstract

During the nineteenth century, the discourse on aesthetics exhibited a pronounced inclination toward the domain of art, with a diminished emphasis on the theoretical aspects of aesthetic attitudes. Everyday aesthetics constituted a trajectory aimed at broadening the scope of aesthetic discourse by encompassing a diverse range of objects and activities within daily life. Yuriko Saito, a prominent philosopher of the early 21st century, is a substantial contributor to the progression of the field of everyday aesthetics. Nonetheless, Saito denied Immanuel Kant's conception of aesthetics. This article aims (1) to present Saito’s criticism of Kant’s conception of the beautiful and (2) to compare Kant’s concepts of the beautiful and Saito’s discussion of aesthetics. Since beauty is a prominent feature of Kantian aesthetics, Saito does not emphasize it as Kant does. I anticipate that the difference between Kant and Saito lies not only in the contrast of concepts but also in the way conceptualization is processed. I also develop my debate on aesthetics between Kant and Saito in this article as well.