“Art as reasoning. Santayana’s synthetic approach”

The paper considers Reason in Art, the fourth book of The Life of Reason, as a pragmatist classic text. In accounting for such a definition, the paper (a) will elaborate on Santayana’s pivotal and neglected conception of synthesis. In this way, I hope to show in the conclusion that difficulties in considering Santayana as a pragmatist are the very same difficulties that pragmatism had in comprehending its own synthetic drive as one of its most crucial characteristics. Furthermore, the paper will examine the impact of this synthetic approach on both philosophy of art and art, showing (b) the kinds of ancient philosophical questions on art that this approach can solve and (c) whether Santayana’s understanding of art remains relevant today. This outcome will also illustrate an original, contemporary contribution to philosophy of art and art that can be offered by contemporary pragmatism.