Humanism and beauty in 20th-century Spanish thought. The aesthetic Anthropology of Sánchez de Muniaín

Abstract:

The aim of this article is to make a critical analysis of the ethical-humanistic foundations of the Esthetic Theory of J. M. Sánchez de Muniaín (1909-1981). Firstly, we study the Aristotelian-Thomistic root of the author in connection with the Spanish aesthetic tradition of Milá and Fontanals and Menéndez Pelayo. It is also examined, subsequently, the Muniaín’s “aesthetic humanism”. The aim of the Muniaín’s approach is not only to find a better conceptualization of Beauty, but also to reach a path or way to living it.

Key words:

ethics, aesthetics, anthropology, beauty, Sánchez de Muniaín