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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2013 1:56:04 GMT -5
Timothy Wilkinson the pensive Wykeham Professor of Logic at Oxford likes to do a good deed every day. And he once wrote that the fear of boring oneself or one's readers is a great enemy of truth. We know that he said that because a Mr. Benjamin Jeffery has written in especially to tell us so. He himself - Mr. Jeffery - is the renowned author of Anti-Matter: Michel Houellebecq and depressive realism. "Whatever else may be said of Professor Wilkinson's principle," observes Mr. Jeffery, "it seems particularly dubious when we come to think about Art. Enchantment, as Plato knew, is not a reliable guide to the truth. But it is also what inspires us to think about Art in the first place, and, among other things, this leaves philosophy of Art peculiarly susceptible to charges of both romanticism and scholasticism. Any approach to the subject that has no magic to it usually ends up feeling pointless. [ That "usually" doesn't go very well with that "any" does it.] On the other hand, what separates illumination from hocus-pocus?" Can Members throw light upon Mr. Jeffery's question there? Do their approaches to the Philosophy of Art necessarily contain an element of magic and/or hocus-pocus? Is Mr. Jeffrey having a bet each way? Here is Professor Wilkinson attempting to think about himself thinking about himself: He has over the years put out a supendous number of publications, including The Philosophy of Philosophy (2007). He attended the Leighton Park School, a Quakeristic and "co-educational" establishment close to Reading. That must be wrong must it not - the co-educational craze I mean. Indeed it is difficult to imagine anything less appropriate than youths being educated in the company of "girls." No wonder modern England is going to the dogs. And the school's music curriculum is rubbish - see for yourself. So - one of the Professor's ideas is that "every seemingly vague predicate, such as 'bald' or 'thin,' has a precise cut-off. No one knows whether I am thin," he continues. Well! he gets no marks from me for that. And another of his ludicrosities is to say that knowledge is unanalysable and conceptually primitive. Another zero! In fact I venture to say that he does not appear to know the first thing about philosophy - and he an Oxford professor! Sorry for my being so critical to-day!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2013 2:16:03 GMT -5
Good morning, Sydney. I trust that you had a most enjoyable weekend! If I may nevertheless address all three of your questions directly: " ... Can Members throw light upon Mr. Jeffery's question there? Do their approaches to the Philosophy of Art necessarily contain an element of magic and/or hocus-pocus? Is Mr. Jeffrey having a bet each way?" Immanuel Kant famously said that you cannot make one straight thing out of the crooked timber of humanity, but what are we supposed to make of art in modern Britain? Tate Britain - Panel: The Painting of Modern Life in BritainThe relationship between art and society is by no means simple or straight forward. A good place to start, at least if you live in London, is with a visit to the Tate. I would personally recommend that you start at Tate Britain at 18:00 (BST) on Thursday 10 October 2013, and then walk or take a boat downstream to Tate Modern. Tate BoatI should perhaps confess that by the time I get to the vastly more popular Tate Modern, generally rather late on a Sunday afternoon across the Millennium Bridge from St Paul's Cathedral, I am generally very confused as to what happened to art in the twentieth century. Perhaps it started off as a reflection of the beautiful, and then turned in on itself, and became merely a reflection of ourselves. The visitors at Tate Modern seem to me to be just as much the art as what they are visiting. Tate ModernOne way of looking at the philosophy of art, Sydney, is by starting with the premise, or null hypothesis, that there is no such thing as art. Only artists! And in the twentieth century, the traditional role occupied by artists was usurped by scientists. As a scientist myself, I can express our place in the universe in a way which was traditionally reserved for artists! Everything can be considered, for example, relative to the speed of light, 'c'. This leaves magic for artists! The University of Oxford - Faculty of Philosophy - Aesthetics and the Philosophy of ArtQED
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2013 3:48:01 GMT -5
You can read issues of philosophy now magazine dedicated to such subjects which should allow you to bluff 99% of the population.
With regards to Modern Art, alas, art had to go somehwere after the invention of the camera, as Man Ray pointed out 'people will just not pay for a portrait now we have cameras'.
Many artsy types became 'graphic designers' and spend all day worrying about fonts.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2013 4:30:54 GMT -5
I guess that you try and bluff the remaining one per cent, Jason?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2013 5:27:47 GMT -5
They are busy at universities, teaching, so I do not meet them.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2013 5:51:16 GMT -5
Out of interest, have you ever considered going to a good university lecture, Jason, whether delivered by the peerless kleines c or even someone from ' The Third'? Knowing some of your interests, Jason, I suspect that Professor Peter Blair Henry might appeal to you even more: London School of Economics - Turnaround: Third World lessons for First World growthThis event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. Due to unprecedented demand from around the world, everyone reading ' The Third' is cordially invited along! If you cannot make it in person, it should become available as a podcast using the following link: London School of Economics - Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videosYou might also enjoy ' The Great Crash of 2008: Causes, Consequences and the Future of the World Economic System': London School of Economics - Public Lecture - The Great Crash of 2008: Causes, Consequences and the Future of the World Economic System
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2013 6:32:01 GMT -5
Those important issues are best left to important people to think about, I have to go find a way to fix a type A to a type B, I presume a kit exists, in the right shop, which I am now off to browse.
Of course, I, being high minded, would simply go back to the shop and get a different type, but, she who must be obeyed has thrown away the packaging and paperwork in a rush to prepare our exit from the flat.
I dash about as she enjoys a 'spa day' with a friend.
"This event is free and open to all with no ticket required.... though being in a position to actually take advantage of or influence events is not free and limited to a select number of people who pay no attention to the person giving this lecture."
The narrative fallacy addresses our limited ability to look at sequences of facts without weaving an explanation into them, or, equivalently, forcing a logical link, an arrow of relationship upon them. Explanations bind facts together. They make them all the more easily remembered; they help them make more sense. Where this propensity can go wrong is when it increases our impression of understanding. —Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2013 18:40:04 GMT -5
One way of looking at the philosophy of art, Sydney, is by starting with the premise, or null hypothesis, that there is no such thing as art. Only artists! . . . Everything can be considered, for example, relative to the speed of light, 'c'. This leaves magic for artists! One way of looking at the philosophy of physics, kleines c, is by starting with the premise, or null hypothesis, that there is no such thing (or entitity) as light. Only the lit what! Light cannot exist. This removes at a stroke the otherwise insuperable problems of 1) wave-particle duality and 2) its speed (because of course what does not exist cannot have a speed). What do you think? All wrong?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2013 0:11:38 GMT -5
There is only darkness, Sydney! Yet in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness ... Bible Gateway - Genesis 1 (King James Version)
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