What is Art?

The Philosophers’ Magazine (philosophersnet.com) has an online quiz that is entitled “Britney Spears vs. Shakespeare - What is Art?” You submit your answer and the magazine collates the results. It is a democratized way of doing philosophy.

Never mind if professional philosophers find polling the unphilosophical masses not too professional. What is interesting in the quiz is the question, which I reprint here:

“What makes a good work of art? Select from the list below how important you think each factor is in assessing whether something is a good work of art. You may well want to read what philosophers have said about each factor in order to make your choices. Select a score between 1 and 5 for each factor. (1 = Not important at all; 2 = A little important; 3 = Quite important; 4 = Very important; 5 = Vital).”

These are the items:

“The work displays great technical ability.

“The work is enjoyable.

“The work conveys the feelings of the artist.

“The work conveys an important moral lesson or helps us to live better lives.

“The formal features of the work are harmonious and/or beautiful.

“The work reveals an insight into reality.”

If you click on the links in the website, you will get a brief account of the various philosophical arguments for or against each of these criteria.

Here is what the website says about the fourth criterion:

“The idea that art must be morally uplifting in some way may seem a quaint one today, when art is often considered to be, if anything, exempt from the ordinary standards of ethics. There is a romantic view of the artist as someone who should not be censored but should be given the freedom to express themselves and create as their muse takes them.

“However, there is a tradition of arguing for the importance of morality in art. Tolstoy appealed to morality because he thought it obvious that whether or not we enjoy a work of art or appreciate it in any other way is an entirely subjective matter. Any attempt to prescribe standards of taste objectively is doomed to failure. However, there was one way in which we could judge art objectively, and that is on its moral content. So, for example, when judging whether a novel is a good or bad read, we are just expressing our opinions. But when we ask whether the novel conveys a morally virtuous message, we can come to a conclusion that all sensible judges can agree upon.

“This argument is important because it has consequences for public subsidy of art. Tolstoy thought that it was unjustifiable to subsidise arts if their value was in the enjoyment they give. Why subsidise some pleasures such as opera and dance, while at the same time taxing others, such as drink and entertainment?

“Others have argued for the moral importance of art on other grounds. Schiller argued that, through art, we are able to open ourselves up to the world and yet make sense of it to ourselves through the creative play art offers. This enables us to cultivate our selves in ways which make us better people.”

On the other hand, here is the website’s summary of philosophical views on the last criterion:

“Plato actually opposed art on the grounds that it was an obstacle to the proper understanding of reality. In his view, true reality is the realm of the ‘forms’. The forms are the prefect ‘blueprints’ of which actual objects are mere replicas. So, any particular chair, for example, is an inferior copy of the eternal form of the chair. Because art represents actual chairs and other objects, it is thus two steps removed from reality. Art is effectively a representation of copies of reality. Anyone who wants to understand reality is therefore advised to avoid art!

“Fortunately, Plato is not the last word on this subject. Opponents of Plato do not always explicitly state that art reveals the true reality behind appearances. However, they do often imply that art has an ability to help us understand reality better by revealing important, general features about it. Aristotle, for example, talked about tragedy as catharsis, which sees art as enabling us to deal with universal emotions by confronting them and, in a sense, purging them, through watching a drama. Hsun Tzu thought that music somehow reflects the harmony of the divine order, and so by cultivating a proper appreciation of music, we gain some insight into ultimate reality. Schopenhauer believed that art is an insight into the fundamental feature of reality: the will, which is the power behind all activity in the universe. And Dewey argued that art allows us to experience the unity of reality that is lost in the discord of everyday experience.”

So, what is it? Because art tells the truth, should artists be allowed and even encouraged to show us what is behind everyday experience, even if it means being considered immoral? Or should artists be forced to remain moral according to the definition of society, because society already knows the truth? (To be continued)

TEACHING TIP OF THE WEEK: Watch the film “Mona Lisa Smile.” You will get ideas about how to teach students what is art, what is not art, what is good art, and what is bad art.