By Happy Alchemy of Mind

The network theory of aesthetic value implies that aesthetic value is related only contingently to pleasure (or finally valuable experience). The chapter argues that this result fits the facts about how agents are motivated to act aesthetically: sometimes aesthetic agents act out of non-aesthetic desires. As a result, what makes someone an aesthetic expert is their reliable performance, not any specifically aesthetic desire. At the same time, the exercise of aesthetic competence typically brings pleasure, because the pleasure system is implicated in any kind of competence performance. Some art historians say as much when they describe the details of how aesthetic appreciation works in social context.