Anne Eaton: Publication in Synthese
publication
Anne Eaton's work "Originality in art and other artifacts: an etiological-ecological approach" just came out in Synthese: https://rdcu.be/9ihtDptBn2ta
Abstract:
This paper proposes an account of artifact function that applies equally to artworks,everyday artifacts, and highly specialized technical artifacts. This unified account ofartifact function centers on the notion of proper function and combines reproductionhistory (etiology) with careful attention to an artifact’s cultural niche (ecology). Iexplain an etiological-ecological account of proper function and demonstrate itscentrality to long-standing art historical methodology. One thing that an etiological-ecological account would seem unable to account for is artifacts considered highlyoriginal. I argue, however, that an etiological-ecological account can in fact accountfor originality and, further, that an etiological-ecological account actually leads toa better understanding of originality than other accounts. I make this case by con-sidering examples from the discipline of art history.