The Double Helix of Aesthetics and Self-Enacting Intentionality

Abstract In modern history, aesthetics has taken on truth and experience as the two principal thematics of our engagement with the world. The aesthetics of truth is most closely associated with the linguistic turn, which revealed the conflict arising from the immediate presence of material form, the fluidity of interpretation, and the uncertainty of meaning. The experiential approach to aesthetics emphasizes how everyday life experiences are continuous with our unique encounters with art. But there is no experience without truth value and no truth disclosure without experiential content. These two inextricably intertwined strands constitute the double helix of aesthetics. Building on this insight, we propose a general theory of aesthetics centered on what we call “self-enacting intentionality and singularity” in relational perception. When we perceive the Other aesthetically, we momentarily step outside our habitual self, creating an exterior vantage point from which to perceive ourselves anew. In this state, we are both preserved and transcended as accounted for in Hegel's concept of “Aufhebung.” The theory suggests that genuine aesthetic experience requires entering into a transformative relational perception, creating a space where self and Other become mutually constitutive. This relational approach invites care and action in everyday life, offering a practical framework for addressing contemporary environmental and social challenges through compassionate engagement with our world.