‘Aesthetics and the Looks of Things’ examines the view that aesthetic vision is justifiably juxtaposed to ordinary vision and that a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for the former is that it is concerned always, if not only, with an object’s ‘appearing so-and-so’ rather than ‘being so-and-so’. Sibley first clarifies how such a view can be understood. He then broadens the debate beyond looks to include sounds, tastes, feels, smells, and so forth. Sibley finally argues that only a certain family of such appearances can be admired for themselves or serve as ultimate goods for aesthetic admiration. The tentative characterisation of the latter is that they are vitally involved in human experience.
Keywords: admiration, aesthetics, appearance, experience, feels, Frank Sibley, sounds, taste