Art, Aesthetics, and Censorship

Art and aesthetics are a few of those things that one wouldn’t normally link to philosophy

and the ideas that it brings. Art, whether in the form of words, book, paintings, or actions, is a

thing that has been used for centuries in order to express a little bit of ourselves in this world in

ways that perhaps simple communication cannot. Nonetheless because of that exact reason,

many times over the history of man has art been seen as a threat, especially to those in a position

of power. By allowing those inferior to them to indulge in any form of art, those people gain a

form a freedom that can and has resulted in that freedom being censored. This censorship has

become more lenient overtime as times have changed, especially during this generation, however

the question is still should art of any kind be subject to censorship. Should an “artist” fear

displaying their work with the fear of it not being socially acceptable? This is an answer that

requires a very unorthodox answer, at least for me, as it is both no and yes. The reason I consider

this answer to be unorthodox is due to the yes part of the answer, as I am a person doesn’t

believe it is fair to censor something personal as art, taking it away from the public eye. The

“yes” that I give to the answer, however, lies on a personal level. Censorship is one of those

things that is completely opinion based, therefore if a person feels that something should be

censored, I believe they have a right to censor it for themselves. For those that do not deem it

necessary for censorship should be allowed to observe or take part in the art if that is what they

choose to do so. One of the ways that censorship of art became noticeable grown up was through literature

and the censorship of certain books. Many of the book and novels that have become classics in

the world of literature were at one point considered too graphic or too radical therefore being

censored; some of these including The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. As they

are well known to do so, these books raise controversial ideas for the time periods they were

written. To Kill a Mockingbird, published