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The Functionalism Principles Of A Saint Jude Novena Candle

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In philosophy there is a theory known as aesthetic reasoning. Within aesthetic reasoning, there are eight principles that an object may (or may not) fulfill in order to determine if the object is aesthetically valuable. These eight principles are divided functionalism principles and formalism principles. When judging an object to assess its aesthetic value, a functionalist or formalist argument may be formed. However, these arguments may not cross over. Therefore, in order to discuss these principles, the object is presented and judged based on one argument or the other. The object that I have chosen to examine is a Saint Jude novena candle. This is the type of candle that is placed in front of the altar at Catholic churches. It is a tall jar candle that can burn for hours. This type of candle is used to offer up prayers in the Hispanic culture. This object is aesthetically valuable because it expresses the values of the culture it arises in, provides social and cultural functions, and can provide a psychological experience to the audience (Moral Legal and Aesthetic Reasoning). One would not normally think of a candle and associate it with art or think that it has aesthetic value. In fact, when people think of a candle they mainly think about its ability to provide light or a pleasant scent. I wouldn’t normally consider it as art or aesthetically valuable because candle don’t usually capture a person’s eye. Also, people generally don’t have candle exhibits to view

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