Abstract: Discusses Beardsley’s ‘generalist’ view that in criticism there can be and are general reasons for aesthetic judgement, a view that Sibley shares. Sibley defends this generalist position by exposing the ‘extreme and heroic’ nature of Beardsley’s view, which he subsequently demonstrates to be unnecessary to defeat the particularist. Sibley further argues that the nature of Beardsley’s position makes it inadequate to establish the deeper claim that the ultimate criteria of aesthetic merit can be isolated from ultimately negative aesthetic criteria, an assumption that some objections against the generalist position are based on.

Keywords: aesthetics, Beardsley, criteria, criticism, Frank Sibley, generalism, judgement, particularism,