Saturday, April 21, 2012
Free Write: Nehamas
In our discussions in class talking about beauty and our understanding of it. I came to the conclusion that Nehamas was trying to put forward a new understanding of beauty as not the ex post facto feeling of beauty, but as the path we take to get there. Nehamas says it is in the promise of happiness from mystery and therefore it is in the process of our experience with something that makes it beautiful. The problem is what happens afterwards. Without the promise of happiness from something new, then does it stop being beautiful? I don't believe so, I understand the point Nehamas is making, but something is still beautiful afterwards. Something is held as beautiful with sentiment as well as with mystery. It is not a set thing.
Q+A: Nehamas 2
Why is Nehamas so against Kant’s views? In other words, what is different about their views that lead to such stark contrast?
It seemed this essay was in response to reading Kant's views and there were just many a way for Nehamas to share his view. In example, the mention of Kant's universal aspect to beauty. Nehamas deeply disagreed with this claim as he brought up the issues of trying to convince others that one person’s sense of beauty is the correct one that should be universally felt. It is very hard to back up claims of universality especially with so many different viewpoints and tastes in the world. How do we know that one path is the true one or not? It is impossible to know, so art ends up being left in the hands of the individual.
It seemed this essay was in response to reading Kant's views and there were just many a way for Nehamas to share his view. In example, the mention of Kant's universal aspect to beauty. Nehamas deeply disagreed with this claim as he brought up the issues of trying to convince others that one person’s sense of beauty is the correct one that should be universally felt. It is very hard to back up claims of universality especially with so many different viewpoints and tastes in the world. How do we know that one path is the true one or not? It is impossible to know, so art ends up being left in the hands of the individual.
Q+A: Nehamas
Is there a “rock-bottom” to the conversation of art?
I honestly do not believe so. I honestly think that art will always have different meanings to different people, so really, as long as there are people, there will be something new to talk about. For example, I may have a life experience that makes a painting feel familiar to me. It reminds me of that experience I had before and thus gives the painting that perspective to me. However, someone else could go by and have a completely opposite reminder from the painting and they will hold that meaning up to the painting. The conversation I could have with that person would be very interesting and if anyone else were to come they could add their own definition. The artistic meaning of things can always continue.
I honestly do not believe so. I honestly think that art will always have different meanings to different people, so really, as long as there are people, there will be something new to talk about. For example, I may have a life experience that makes a painting feel familiar to me. It reminds me of that experience I had before and thus gives the painting that perspective to me. However, someone else could go by and have a completely opposite reminder from the painting and they will hold that meaning up to the painting. The conversation I could have with that person would be very interesting and if anyone else were to come they could add their own definition. The artistic meaning of things can always continue.
Creativity
On the subject of imagination, these were my general thoughts from what I understood:
The three objects of thought, knowledge, creativity and imagination are all very much connected in an overarching of human thought. Knowledge is the understanding of factual things. It is the Justified True Belief in something. It is a constrained thought process. It deals with absolutes. Imagination is our ability to understand things even though they are not justified true beliefs and understand they are not so. It is the unconstrained thinking where anything really can come into mind. Creativity comes from the applied use of knowledge and imagination. It ends with some product that was once only thought but has become fact.
Imagination is a tricky thing since it really has no basis in fact and we can't really share it directly. However, it's application is integral to things we have in our society. The things we have and the customs we follow were made up at some point in someone's imagination, then applied creatively. It is something debated over in how it works, but something used all the time.
The three objects of thought, knowledge, creativity and imagination are all very much connected in an overarching of human thought. Knowledge is the understanding of factual things. It is the Justified True Belief in something. It is a constrained thought process. It deals with absolutes. Imagination is our ability to understand things even though they are not justified true beliefs and understand they are not so. It is the unconstrained thinking where anything really can come into mind. Creativity comes from the applied use of knowledge and imagination. It ends with some product that was once only thought but has become fact.
Imagination is a tricky thing since it really has no basis in fact and we can't really share it directly. However, it's application is integral to things we have in our society. The things we have and the customs we follow were made up at some point in someone's imagination, then applied creatively. It is something debated over in how it works, but something used all the time.
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