Thank you, Arjun Sambhi, for another great question. The natural world is undeniably beautiful. Aesthetically, we appraise majestic mountains as sublime, admire crepuscular rays from a crimson sunset, and appreciate the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. These features of nature are inherently beautiful. By ‘inherently beautiful’, I mean objectively beautiful, which is to […]
Is it ethical to watch House of Cards after the allegations against Kevin Spacey? Or to read Dostoevsky after reading his confession about raping a girl? Thank you, Ajit Deshmukh, for an important question. In an age of cancel culture, this question might seem to obviously bring a positive response. Of course, we shouldn’t teach/enjoy/celebrate
Should we enjoy good art by evil people? Read More
Thank you, John Presley, for a great question and a great opportunity to reflect upon the fluid and slippery nature of our cultural icons. As good Aristotelians, we need to break down the question in order to get to the truth. We can start by defining the term icon. We get the word from the
What makes an artist an icon? Read More
Thank you, Alex Impey, for a great question! Let’s first try to understand the question a little better before attempting to answer it. The question involves two deeply loaded concepts: ‘art’ and ‘separation’. I will stick to an intuitive, common-sense understanding of ‘art’ and will take ‘separated’ to mean ‘treated independently’. It is also important
Should art be separated from the artist? Read More
Thank you, Heather Bennett, for sending us this beautiful painting. I appreciate that you have not posed any specific questions about this picture. This not only gives me a lot of flexibility on how to approach it, but it is also very respectful to art itself. Is it not that art can produce its meaning
What do you make of this picture? Read More
