differentiate the total experience from other types of experience.
Since, moreover, art is a social phenomenon, we shall have to draw
upon our knowledge of social psychology to illumine our analysis of
the individual's experience. Art is a historical, even a technical,
development; hence the personal enjoyment of beauty itself is
conditioned by factors that spring from the traditions of groups of
artists and art lovers. No one can understand his pleasure in beauty
apart from the pleasure of others.

In so far, on the other hand, as aesthetics is an attempt to define
the purpose of art and so to formulate the standards presupposed in
judgments of taste, it is closely related to criticism. The relation
is essentially that between theory and the application of theory. It
is the office of the critic to deepen and diffuse the appreciation of
particular works of art. For this purpose he must possess standards;
but he need not be, and in fact often is not, aware of them. A fine
taste may serve his ends. Not infrequently, however, the critic
endeavors to make clear to himself and his readers the principles he
is employing. Now, on its normative side, aesthetics is ideally the
complete rationale of criticism, the systematic achievement, for its
own sake, of what the thoughtful critic attempts with less exactness
and for the direct purpose of appreciation. It is beyond the province
of aesthetics to criticize any particular work of art, except by way
of illustration. The importance of illustration for the sake of
explaining and proving general principles is, however, fundamental;
for, as we have seen, a valuable aesthetic theory is impossible unless
developed out of the primary aesthetic life of enjoyment and estimation,
a life of contact with individual beautiful things. No amount of
psychological skill in analysis or philosophical aptitude for definition
can compensate for want of a real love of beauty,--of the possession