Acknowledging the importance of enjoying something does not of course preclude a thorough knowledge of the object that is arousing pleasure It might in fact be more pleasurable if we know more about the object we are viewing Moreover pleasure is not a simple matter The arousal of our senses  and how we recognise and register it  is itself open to interrogation It is also historically located Why we like particular characteristics of certain sorts of objects at any one time is not simply the result of our genes or our own particular personalities but is determined by values promoted within the society of which we are a part So while no one seeks to underestimate the importance of sensuous and instinctive responses to art objects the notion that the sensuous is undermined by the intellectual is a legacy from a period in the past which promoted art as an alternative to thought