Seventeenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Taste is one of the most subjective, complex, and relevant concepts in human communities because of its ability to unite and differentiate individuals and objects founded on personal opinions and experiences. However, scholars from numerous disciplines have not agreed on what should be the definition of taste and whether it is possible to achieve consensus. The present study systematically reviews the literature on aesthetic taste from a multidisciplinary perspective to better understand the concept, historical evolution, and multiple definitions. Thematic analysis reveal three general themes that explore definitions of taste, including certain variations of the definition within each theme. Based on philosophical discussions, theme one relates to taste as a vehicle for perceiving beauty. This view of taste considers the feelings and virtues arising from the experience of taste. Theme two, primarily derived from the sociology literature, addresses the relationship between taste, identity, and social structures, in which mechanisms, skills, narratives, practices, and systems and regimes of taste are involved. The last theme, three, is mainly based on the literature on experimental psychology and design and proposes taste as a cognitive pleasure that could be utilized as a result of the aesthetic experience (i.e., evaluation) or as an influence on the aesthetic experience (i.e., moderator). Revising, classifying, and integrating literature on taste introduces an alternative perspective on the topic beyond a merely analytical approach. Findings clarify the complexity surrounding the concept of aesthetic taste in multidisciplinary scenarios through an initial differentiation of discourses and grouping of definitions.