Philosophical Exploration of Aesthetic Experience During Bereavement

Aesthetic experience during bereavement is a profound area of reflection. In Aesthetics of Grief and Mourning, philosopher Kathleen Marie Higgins explores how aesthetics can support those experiencing loss.

Some practices related to bereavement, such as funerals, are scripted, but many others are recursive, improvisational, and mundane—telling stories, listening to music, and reflecting on art or literature.

Higgins demonstrates how these grounding, aesthetic practices can ease the disorienting effects of loss, shedding new light on the importance of aesthetics for personal and communal flourishing.