Kantian and Bakhtinian Aesthetics – Perspectives in Dialogue

Abstract

This study aims to present the Kantian perspective on the concept of Aesthetics, establishing a dialogue with the Bakhtinian perspective. We seek to elucidate Kant’s vision, along with that of some neo-Kantians, and contrast it with the perspective advocated in Bakhtin’s work, with the goal of demonstrating how these two currents of thought converge and diverge in their views on aesthetics. To this end, the article draws in part on Kant’s Critique of Judgment and Critique of Pure Reason, as well as on interpretations by commentators on Kant, identifying connections between this perspective and certain Bakhtinian concepts related to the conceptualization of aesthetics within this tradition. Kant’s Transcendental Aesthetic examines how we perceive the world, focusing on the a priori conditions of human sensibility, such as time and space. These function as mental frameworks that structure our perception of objects. The Bakhtinian perspective, in contrast, challenges this view, asserting that the categories of time and space are social, historical, and ideological constructions.