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The Collapse of Criteria and the Prostitution of Art

March 4, 2024

Society

art, creativity, ignorance, literature, mediocrity, social masses, social media, society, writing

In an interview in 1991 (I will share the relevant excerpt translated/transcribed in this post), the Greek-French philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis pointed out a sobering fact: We live in an era characterized by the collapse of criteria and the prostitution of art.

That is to say, Castoriadis argued, we live in an era with no criteria by which to gauge art. As a result, art prostitutes itself and loses its true meaning. It becomes industrialized.

There are two important elements in this very short excerpt I will discuss in this post:

  • Castoriadis naturally spoke before the internet and – especially – social media. I wonder what he would think about them.
  • Importantly, Castoriadis argues that art should create its own criteria.

If art should create its own criteria, and we observe a collapse of criteria today, what does that tell us?

collapse of criteria. image of Acropolis
The Acropolis of Athens, Greece. Each era creates its own criteria. Parthenon still stands, 2500 years later
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Shame Will Save the World

February 5, 2024

Society

capitalism, meaning, society

“Shame will save the world” – often translated as “Shame, the feeling that will save mankind” – is what the character of Kris Kelvin utters near the end of Solaris, the film by Andrei Tarkovsky.

Can shame save the world?

For Dostoevsky, it was beauty that would perform that miracle. However, as a Greek blogger has said, beauty will save those who can see it. I tend to agree with this variation much more readily.

In any case, there is a point in selecting shame as the better candidate. I realized it going through a list of freelance jobs with ridiculously underpaid remuneration – think of $5 to produce 1500 words of text. Reading this I said out loud: “I would be embarrassed to offer that”.

And that’s when I realized the role of shame in saving the world.

Shame will save the world - image of Tokyo at night
Our societies are large, faceless, cold… There is no time for shame when there’s money to be made.
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Misunderstanding a Song – for Twenty Years

January 29, 2024

Experiencing, Society

art, experiencing, meaning, music, society

Certain art forms are easier to “misunderstand” than others. That is, it’s easier for any kind of authorial intention to become something entirely different in the eyes (or ears) of the audience at a social level. Music and poetry are particularly susceptible to this, because of their abstractness. Misunderstanding a song is indeed hilariously likely, as today’s story should indicate.

Of course, the word “misunderstanding” is a little bit misleading: It is the role of art to be misunderstood. As I’ve stated before, to the extent artists have a social responsibility, that is to produce works that are interpretatively fluid.

Indeed, the story I have to share with you today is a marvelous example of a piece of art that escapes the confines – and control – of an entire society with hilarious consequences.

misunderstanding a song - image of a bass guitar
Song lyrics, if they are written competently, are not straightforward. They are highly symbolic and thus easily “misunderstood”. I’d say that misunderstanding a song is a key factor of its artistic capabilities
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