Morris Weitz - Icon Profile | Alexandria
Morris Weitz (1916-1981) was an influential American philosopher and aesthetician who fundamentally transformed the discourse on art theory through his seminal 1956 paper "The Role of Theory in Aesthetics," which introduced the revolutionary concept that art cannot be definitively defined. His intellectual legacy, deeply rooted in Wittgensteinian philosophy, challenged centuries of attempts to establish fixed definitions of art and beauty.
First emerging in academic circles during the mid-20th century at Vassar College and later at Brandeis University, Weitz developed his philosophical perspectives during a period of radical artistic transformation, when abstract expressionism and other avant-garde movements were challenging traditional notions of art. His scholarly work coincided with and responded to the broader cultural shifts of post-war America, where established aesthetic paradigms were being dramatically reconsidered.
Weitz's most enduring contribution lies in his application of Wittgenstein's concept of "family resemblances" to artistic theory. He argued that the attempt to define art in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions was fundamentally misguided, suggesting instead that art should be understood as an "open concept" with overlapping, complex relationships between different forms and expressions. This revolutionary perspective influenced subsequent generations of philosophers and art theorists, including George Dickie and Arthur Danto, while simultaneously providing theoretical justification for the expanding boundaries of artistic practice in the latter half of the 20th century.
Today, Weitz's ideas continue to resonate in contemporary discussions about digital art, AI-generated creativity, and the increasingly fluid boundaries between different artistic mediums. His challenge to traditional aesthetic theory remains particularly relevant as new forms of artistic expression emerge, forcing us to constantly reconsider what constitutes art. The philosophical framework he established continues to offer valuable insights into how we might approach and understand novel artistic phenomena while remaining open to the endless possibilities of human creativity.