Art and Entertainment: A Philosophical Exploration

In sharp contrast to art, which has been widely discussed by philosophers over the centuries, entertainment has been largely neglected in philosophy. Generally regarded as the trashy cousin of art they have frequently been cast as opposites. In this book Andy Hamilton explores entertainment from a philosophical standpoint and argues, in contrast to modernist theory, that art and entertainment share much more than is commonly assumed and that in the West they form a loosely connected conceptual system.

He begins by questioning the received view by examining figures who are both artists and entertainers, including Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, Nat King Cole and Steven Spielberg. Whilst accepting that pure entertainment, which by nature is undemanding and audience-centred, lacks the depth of art Hamilton argues that it parallels art in its contrast between cynical and authentic entertainers and in its historical evolution, created a conjoined system of art, entertainment and sport. Drawing on thinkers and historians of art and culture, especially Oscar Kristeller, Hamilton applies his argument to entertainment and popular culture, sport, and elitism and populism, before considering the shift from entertainment as something enjoyed primarily at mass or communal level to something consumed privately and digitally.

Art and Entertainment: A Philosophical Exploration will appeal to those working in art and aesthetics as well as anyone in a related discipline, such as cultural studies, music and film studies, with an interest in entertainment.