The Metaxyn of Aisthesis. Philosophy of Media: Aesthetics

Current developments in technology (in the arts: media art), in the sciences exploring them, and in philosophy suggest to conceive of an aesthetics of the philosophy of media. Without common scholarly aesthetics of media and with comparing reference to the philosophy of media the surprising mutual foundation of art and media seen in philosophical tradition gives a hand. Refelection theory from Locke, German idealism, Vienna school of art history to Benjamin and gestalt theory from Kant, Ehrenfels, Wittgenstein, Heider to Luhmann prove an aesthetics of the philosophy of media to be as fertile if it thinks, after Aristotle, "medium" as the metaxyn (through) and meson (the middle) of perception and thus provides not only a new account for a theory of media but a redefinition of aesthetics, out of the history of the discipline, as a critical theory of the beautiful arts and technologies. In so doing the old adversity of analytic philosophy and phenomenology to psychological aesthetics could be transgressed. Additionally a topos unknow for an aesthetic conception of the media is offered by the philosophy of mind and phenomenology: qualia, they could further determine the metaxyn as basic Ton as well as the medium of phenomenality. And the fact of an art of the media in art theory since Lessing and in contemporary art suggests to examine the mediality of the metaxyn along an aesthetic domain without opposing progressistically a philosophy of media art to the traditional system of the arts or institutionalistically completing it.

Facing new media the insufficiencies of today`s "Medienästhetik" can be superseded with an instrument of context. For this aim media of sensation/perception, of communication and of art are distinguished. Profit is drawn with Aristotle`s De anima as an aesthetics of the metaxy (= medium) with specific relation to the media for instance giving thereby a hint at an aesthetics of (re-)mixed and hybrid media with significance to today`s obligatory genre mixes in radio, TV, internet and mobile media. Also a fresh view of the history of modern philosophy is given. So the discovery was made that philosophical aesthetics inventor Baumgarten`s noticed the fact of metaxy and of the irreducible distinction of two media theory traditions. The mutual foundation of medium and art in Gestaltphilosophie begins with Kant and ends with Wittgenstein and the psychology or design endeavouring of gestalt in the strong sense as dissolved in input into user surfaces - media in the weak sense - of ever growing stimuli in, between and beyond media resulting in a permanent process of audiovisual dis/figuration. The mutual foundation of medium and art in Reflexionsphilosophie begins with Fichte and ends with Lacan and the replacement of philosophical and psychological relationship between ego and mirror image on stained glass mirror by electronic "mirroring" display technologies of reflection - mirroring, echoing - that has now come along with the permanent flow and processing of images. Further more the alternative of technology or media is pondered with respect to art considering with Aristotle and Heidegger a concept of technology reopened to téchne for the sake of technology itself becoming visible again as a medium long before the arts began to make use of communication media technology artistically. An additional look at the media`s role in aesthetics and philosophy of mind is fruitful concerning the mediality of mind with respect to mental features like qualia, supervenience and phenomenal states of consciousness mediated by the aisthesis of art. In its turn media arts are addressed with the recognition that recent mass media technologies like TV well serve to be objects for artistic analysis as was the funny intermedium in 18th century opera seria and are with theatrical or imaginary play today`s computer games.