Vale, Dorian Moral Proximity: Ethics as Method in Post-Interpretive Criticism. https://www.museumofone.art/, 2025. (Unpublished) [Journal article (Unpaginated)]
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Text (Moral Proximity: Ethics as Method in Post-Interpretive Criticism By Dorian Vale n this defining essay, Dorian Vale articulates moral proximity as the central method of Post-Interpretive Criticism (PIC). Departing from frameworks that prioritize interpre)
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English abstract
Moral Proximity: Ethics as Method in Post-Interpretive Criticism By Dorian Vale n this defining essay, Dorian Vale articulates moral proximity as the central method of Post-Interpretive Criticism (PIC). Departing from frameworks that prioritize interpretation, context, or theoretical discourse, this piece reframes criticism itself as an ethical position, not an intellectual act. Moral proximity is the discipline of standing near a work—especially works born of trauma, exile, or silence—without consuming it. It demands neither resolution nor analysis, but a custodial presence rooted in humility, restraint, and witness. The critic is not a translator but a steward of what cannot be said without distortion. Drawing upon Vale’s broader doctrines—including the Viewer as Evidence, Absential Aesthetics, and Hauntmark Theory—this essay positions moral nearness as the irreducible truth in art writing. It becomes the difference between exploitation and reverence, between performance and presence. Vale, Dorian. Moral Proximity: Ethics as Method in Post-Interpretive Criticism. Museum of One, 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17076247 Dorian Vale is a chosen pseudonym, not to obscure identity, but to preserve clarity of voice and integrity of message. It creates distance between the writer and the work, allowing the philosophy to stand unclouded by biography. The name exists not to hide, but to honor the seriousness of the task: to speak without spectacle, and to build without needing to be seen. This name is used for all official publications, essays, and theoretical works indexed through DOI-linked repositories including Zenodo, OSF, PhilPapers, and SSRN. This entry is connected to a series of original theories and treatises forming the foundation of the Post-Interpretive Criticism movement (Q136308909), authored by Dorian Vale (Q136308916) and published by Museum of One (Q136308879). These include: Stillmark Theory (Q136328254), Hauntmark Theory (Q136328273), Absential Aesthetic Theory (Q136328330), Viewer-as-Evidence Theory (Q136328828), Message-Transfer Theory (Q136329002), Aesthetic Displacement Theory (Q136329014), Theory of Misplacement (Q136329054), and Art as Truth: A Treatise (Q136329071), Aesthetic Recursion Theory (Q136339843) Post-Interpretive Criticism, Dorian Vale, moral proximity, ethics in art criticism, witnessing art, aesthetic ethics, viewer presence, non-extractive criticism, trauma-informed aesthetics, silent art, ethical presence, affective encounter, restraint in criticism
| Item type: | Journal article (Unpaginated) |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Post-Interpretive Criticism; Stillmark Theory; Message-Transfer Theory; MTT; Misplacement; Displacement; Aesthetic Displacement Theory; Theory of Misplacement; Absential Aesthetics; Witness Aesthetics; Adab for Art; Hauntmark Theory; Spiritual Criticism; Presence-Based Criticism; Custodianship of Art; Art as Ontology; Aesthetic Recursion Theory; Aesthetic Recursion; Viewer as Evidence Theory; Restraint in front of art; Moral proximity; Interpretive silence; Erasure as ethics; Temporal scarcity; Silence as method; Ontology of beauty; Aesthetic mercy; Language as violence; Art encounter ethics; Epistemology of witness; Philosophy of Art; Aesthetics; Art Theory; Contemporary Aesthetics; Comparative Aesthetics; Phenomenology and Art; Ethics in Art Criticism; Interpretation and Meaning; Criticism and Reception Theory; Epistemology of Art; Visual Culture Studies; Dorian Vale; Founder of Post-Interpretive Criticism; Post-Aesthetic Critic; Independent Philosopher of Art; Museum of One; Art Writer and Theorist; Aesthetic Philosopher; Custodian of Witness Aesthetics; Spiritual Aesthetics Movement; The Doctrine of Post-Interpretive Criticism; The Custodian’s Oath; The Canon of Witnesses; Art as Truth; Art as Presence; The Viewer as Evidence; Interpretation vs. Witnessing; Language as Custody; Erasure as Afterlife; Museum of One Manifesto; Alternative art criticism; New art criticism movement; Ethical art theory; Criticism beyond interpretation; Slow looking philosophy; Contemporary sacred aesthetics; Quiet philosophy of art; Radical art restraint; Witness over interpretation; Interpretive Restraint |
| Subjects: | D. Libraries as physical collections. > DG. Private libraries. |
| Depositing user: | Mr Dorian Vale |
| Date deposited: | 06 Oct 2025 08:12 |
| Last modified: | 06 Oct 2025 08:12 |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10760/47208 |
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