The aesthetic method in self-conflict

the long version

This is the third chapter from Eli Siegel's philosophic masterpiece Self and World: An Explanation of Aesthetic Realism (Definition Press, 1981). By itself, this chapter presents, in rich detail, a key concept of Siegel's philosophy--that the arts, when understood in their technical depths, provide the clearest possible guide for how, in everyday life, we can best lead our lives. "All beauty is a making one of opposites," Siegel explained, "and the making one of opposites is what we are going after in ourselves." While this excerpted chapter is, in and by itself, one of the great works of modern philosophy, now that the entire book (Self and World) is published, it is likely better for a reader to meet "The Aesthetic Method in Self-Conflict" in its full context.