Includes bibliographies and index

The purpose, value, and significance of the arts are perennial topics, often generating rather heated discussions. In the modern era, a philosophical perspective took hold in accord with the idea that art was separated from daily life, as well as from larger social contexts. This book argues for a perspective in which the arts are integrated with our daily lives, even as they affect social, political, and educational realities, and our understanding of those realities. A central theme of this book is that aesthetic experiences, and forms of popular culture in particular, can and often do affect the way we see, interpret, and make sense of our worlds, as well as assist in the creation of a more just, invigorating, and humane society.