Affiliation:
1. Independent scholar
2. Music, University of California, Los Angeles
3. Philosophy, University at Buffalo
Abstract
Abstract
Memorials and monuments are typically works of public art with a deliberate social function: to honor persons and events considered important to remember by a community, whether local or global. Their subjects may be triumphant or catastrophic, individual or collective. Because of their central purpose, the ethical character of such works is as significant as their aesthetic success. Indeed, it can be hard to separate the two realms. However, when social and political values shift and those honored are no longer considered worthy, the ethical and the aesthetic aspects of monuments can come into intense conflict. This chapter offers a general definition of monuments and memorials, discusses their shared features, and considers the ethical and aesthetic assessments that they invite.
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