Is there a meaningful difference between Justin Bieber and Johann Sebastian Bach beyond personal taste? Can art actually contribute to moral development and knowledge, or are we simply projecting meaning onto aesthetic experiences? And in an age where the concept of "art" has expanded to include everything from traditional paintings to conceptual installations, do we even know what art is anymore?

Today's guest is James Young, a distinguished Canadian professor and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, best known for his extensive work in the Philosophy of Art and the Philosophy of Language. A professor at the University of Victoria since 1985, Young has explored foundational issues in aesthetics, including the moral dimensions of art, the ontology of artistic works, and the epistemic value of aesthetic experience. His scholarship navigates both historical and contemporary terrain, with particular expertise in 18th century aesthetic theory and early modern philosophical thought. Young has authored numerous influential works, including books on art and knowledge, and has a forthcoming publication on the moral dimensions of music.

In this conversation, we tackle one of philosophy's most contentious debates: whether artistic value can be objective or remains purely subjective. Young argues provocatively that while art depends on human responses to exist, this doesn't mean all aesthetic judgments are equally valid—some art genuinely offers deeper insights into the human condition than others. We explore his fascinating thesis that art and science operate through fundamentally different modes of understanding: science moves from particular observations to general laws, while art uses particular examples to illuminate universal human experiences. This distinction becomes crucial as educational systems increasingly prioritize STEM over humanities, potentially losing what Young sees as art's unique capacity to expand our moral imagination and emotional intelligence. Through discussions ranging from Jane Austen's character development techniques to the survival power of Bach versus contemporary pop music, we examine how art functions as a distinctive form of knowledge that science simply cannot replicate—one that may be essential for understanding what it truly means to be human.