Aesthetic Emotions and the Drive for Knowledge

Abstract This chapter introduces Affective Aesthetic Cognitivism (AAC), an empirically informed framework that explains how affect and emotions contribute to the epistemic value of the arts. Whereas traditional Aesthetic Cognitivism (AC) focuses on the capacity of artworks to generate knowledge and understanding, AAC argues that specific aesthetic emotions play a constitutive role in these processes. Emotions such as wonder, awe, fascination, euphoria, and feeling inspired do not merely accompany aesthetic experiences; they can sustain forms of cognitive engagement that facilitate understanding. The chapter first distinguishes broad transformations through the arts from more directly identifiable epistemic gains. It then examines how affect and cognition have been related in aesthetic psychology, from Berlyne’s work on curiosity to contemporary emotion-based approaches. Building on this discussion, a set of criteria is developed for assessing whether empirical studies can provide evidence for Aesthetic Cognitivism (AC) or Affective Aesthetic Cognitivism (AAC). These criteria are applied to recent empirical attempts to map the experiential and conceptual landscape of art experiences. The analysis suggests that cognitively expansive aesthetic emotions, particularly feeling inspired, euphoria, fascination, and wonder are promising candidates for explaining how artworks contribute to understanding and cognitive transformation. Keywords Affective Aesthetic Cognitivism, Aesthetic Cognitivism, Aesthetic Emotions, Emotions, Art and Cognition, Empirical Aesthetics, Epistemic Understanding, General Symbol Theory, Inspiration, Wonder