Varieties of Aesthetic Experience: Considering Breadth, Length, and Depth

Aesthetic experience has been a highly debated concept in both psychology and philosophy, leading some to argue for abandoning the term. In the current paper we put forth an alternative approach. We propose that aesthetic experience is a continuum rather than discrete: i.e. experiences can be characterized as more or less aesthetic rather than as being aesthetic or not. We argue that if we explicitly consider the three dimensions of breadth, length, and depth, we can have a more systematic discussion. Specifically, we argue that if we acknowledge the wide breadth of aesthetic experience and allow for variations in length and depth (i.e. a continuum) then the concept of aesthetic experience can be a very useful concept for empirical aesthetics. The aim of the paper is not to end discussion, but rather to reshape the current discussion with this new perspective.