Two Thumbs Up How Critics Aid Appreciation

"Everyone's a critic, the saying goes. This seems truer than ever in the age of social media, with countless daily posts praising or lambasting the latest episode of Game of Thrones, the most recent installment in the Marvel universe movie franchise, or the new Beyoncé album. And yet, even with all this cacophony of opinions, professional critics still wield a considerable amount of power and influence, encouraging us to ask the same basic questions that have engaged aesthetic philosophers and everyday art lovers for centuries: How should we engage with art? What can enhance those experiences? Are some views more informed than others? Do critics help us appreciate art? In Two Thumbs Up, philosopher Stephanie Ross tackles these questions and offers a Hume-inspired account of the importance of critics in aiding our appreciation of artworks and helping us understand our experiences better. In accessible prose, Ross shows how, when they do their jobs well, critics can open up a work for us, training us to hone and enhance our receptivity to the powers of art"--