Nowadays, some prisons organize art projects, including the rehearsal and performance of classical plays, with the aim of involving prisoners in experiencing beauty.
These projects appear to have a purifying effect on prisoners and sometimes even have a positive effect on their reintegration into society.
The pursuit of beauty as a form of meaning therefore consists not only of an aesthetic experience but also of an impact on society.
In the period 1969-1970 I myself led a creativity group of prisoners in prison. They were given the opportunity to paint and draw.
I also worked for thirty years as a teacher in art education, at the conservatory and the Academy of Fine Arts. And sometimes I asked students: take a person from the Stone Age. He makes a cooking pot,
but what he also does is, he decorates that pot with a geometric pattern or a kind of dotted line around the pot. Making such a pot is meaningful. In this way he can prepare food in it.
But what is the point of that decoration on that pot? It is of no use to you for cooking and it only cost time to decorate that pot.
But even people from the earliest times felt the need to make their surroundings more beautiful just for the sake of it. And that is an interesting observation.
In all cultures, people have put forward ideas about beauty and art as a form of meaning. Yet it was long assumed that beauty and art were uniquely Western concepts.
Other cultures did make "beautiful" things, but it was the Europeans who reflected on it with a general concept of what "art" is. Nonsense of course, but characteristic of white supremacy thinking.
A more interesting question is when something is experienced as "beautiful" in a certain culture, and whether the many strivings for beauty differ between cultures or whether they have something in common.
It turns out that even if we go back to the time when there was virtually no contact between regions such as the Roman Empire and China in antiquity, there are similarities in the striving for beauty.
We see this, for example, in the striving for "likeness" between an object and its image. We find this striving among the Ancient Greeks, but also in China.
Let us stop at this point for today, otherwise my lecture will become too long. Let us state for the time being that despite the elusiveness of the beautiful, experiencing it is a universal form of meaning,
not only in the visual arts, but also in music, literature, theater and other art forms.
To be continued.....
Thank you for your attention again...
Main Sources:
MacMillan The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition
TABLE OF CONTENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 100 Philosophers 9 May 2009 Start of
2 - 25+ Women Philosophers 10 May 2009 this blog
3 - 25 Adventures in Thinking 10 May 2009
4 - Modern Theories of Ethics 29 Oct 2009
5 - The Ideal State 24 Febr 2010 / 234
6 - The Mystery of the Brain 3 Sept 2010 / 266
7 - The Utopia of the Free Market 16 Febr 2012 / 383
8. - The Aftermath of Neo-liberalism 5 Sept 2012 / 413
9. - The Art Not to Be an Egoist 6 Nov 2012 / 426
10 - Non-Western Philosophy 29 May 2013 / 477
11 - Why Science is Right 2 Sept 2014 / 534
12 - A Philosopher looks at Atheism 1 Jan 2015 / 557
13 - EVIL, a philosophical investigation 17 Apr 2015 / 580
14 - Existentialism and Free Will 2 Sept 2015 / 586
15 - Spinoza 2 Sept 2016 / 615
16 - The Meaning of Life 13 Febr 2017 / 637
17 - In Search of my Self 6 Sept 2017 / 670
18 - The 20th Century Revisited 3 Apr 2018 / 706
19 - The Pessimist 11 Jan 2020 / 819
20 - The Optimist 9 Febr 2020 / 824
21 - Awakening from a Neoliberal Dream 8 Oct 2020 / 872
22 - A World Full of Patterns 1 Apr 2021 / 912
23 - The Concept of Freedom 8 Jan 2022 / 965
24 - Materialism 7 Sept 2022 / 1011
25 - Historical Materialism 5 Oct 2023 / 1088
26 - The Bonobo and the Atheist 9 Jan 2024 / 1102
27 - Artificial Intelligence 9 Feb 2024 / 1108
28 - Why Am I Here 6 Sept 2024 / 1139
[13:12] Max Chatnoir: Thank you, Herman!
[13:13] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:13] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Thank you Herman
[13:13] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): well it seems to be a primary drive built into us, to create
[13:13] herman Bergson: I stop here because I was on the verge of the likeness/abstract art debate.... :-)
[13:14] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): likes abstract art
[13:14] herman Bergson: At least that, Bejiita
[13:14] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): It is cozy, dreamlike, and also a challenge
[13:14] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): I recently took a "strengths" survey, and out of 24 possibilities, appreciation of beauty, art, and nature was #2 for me. If I can't observe beauty in my surroundings, it tends to make me very dejected and out of sorts.
[13:15] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): the reason i like to create computer games is not just because i like programming
[13:15] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): but it requires u to master more or less all art forms and then combine them, at least for a solo developer
[13:15] herman Bergson: But it is interesting to see that people in all cultures liked to do such üseless"things as making pictures or making music.
[13:15] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): that is really great
[13:16] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:16] herman Bergson: In our culture, we make the distiction between "ART"and applied art for instance
[13:16] Max Chatnoir: I think it must be related to identifying ourselves.
[13:16] herman Bergson: Expressing yourself....?
[13:17] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): who you are
[13:17] Max Chatnoir: Other animals use patterns and colors to recognize their species.
[13:17] herman Bergson: For an artist creating his art must be a meaning of his life
[13:17] Max Chatnoir: Maybe we like to advertise ourselves too.
[13:18] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed Herman
[13:18] herman Bergson: Showing of our skills :-)
[13:19] Max Chatnoir: And to mark things we've made as ours?
[13:19] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): it's true for me, every day after work i work in creative software. Blender, Krita, Unreal, Unity. Stuffing images and ideas into my computers and turning them into interactive artwork and stories, at least I try to
[13:19] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:19] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and it's fun and cozy
[13:19] herman Bergson: I must admit that creating things is a most satisfying way to give meaning to my life :-)
[13:19] Max Chatnoir: You're creating worlds.
[13:20] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): For me, I don't necessarily need to create, but I do need to experience aesthetic beauty to feel satisfied with my life.
[13:20] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): same now at Burning Man, all artwork and creations made by people there
[13:20] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): always amazing every year
[13:20] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Art doesn't have to be beautiful
[13:20] herman Bergson: That is why people create beautiful things indeed, Sooki, ....to share this quality
[13:21] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed, what is art?
[13:21] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): when I say this is art..it's art
[13:21] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa
[13:21] herman Bergson: yes Beertje, but there you touch upon a complex subject
[13:22] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): Art is so many things, drawing, music, authoring/writing, even programming/coding
[13:22] herman Bergson: I don't think there is a definite definition of what art is.
[13:23] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): in what i do i combine them all
[13:23] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): is the beauti of nature art?
[13:23] bergfrau Apfelbaum: beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... but if a pot is decorated, it can be traded/sold for a higher price :-)
[13:23] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): it's great but hard
[13:23] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaaa
[13:23] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): that also
[13:23] herman Bergson: That is one such point Bergie, the functionality of art
[13:24] herman Bergson: That idea of "likeness"is interesting..
[13:25] Lecturehall: 2024-10-24 [22:25] Stranger Nightfire
[13:25] herman Bergson: in the windows of the shops in my village they are exhibiting paintings of amateurs/professionals....I am not sure...
[13:25] Max Chatnoir: Hi, Stranger.
[13:25] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): hi Stranger
[13:25] bergfrau Apfelbaum: hi Stranger
[13:26] herman Bergson: But every time when I look at such a painting I have that feeling...hmm yes...art....or no...amateurish
[13:26] Stranger Nightfire: hello Max
[13:26] Max Chatnoir: I think adding decoration does increase the value of something.
[13:26] Stranger Nightfire: hello bergfrau
[13:26] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): true Max
[13:26] herman Bergson: It begins with lipstick and mascara, Max :-)
[13:26] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): loool
[13:27] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): Beauty, whether it is art or nature or functional objects brings pleasure, and pleasure brings joy to one's life.
[13:27] herman Bergson: Right Sooki....
[13:27] Max Chatnoir: For animals, it's a way of advertising that they are not just barely surviving, they also have spent energy on unnecessary features, which is a way of saying I am more than just adequate.
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aah
[13:28] herman Bergson: I admit, Max, they have tried to make chimps create art
[13:28] Max Chatnoir: Yes, I have chimp-created postcards!
[13:28] herman Bergson: Some animals make beautiful things indeed.
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ok ㋡
[13:29] herman Bergson: But to classify this as art opens an interesting debate, I guess :-)
[13:29] Max Chatnoir: Yes, it does.
[13:29] herman Bergson: Especially if you regard (the creation of) art a cultural thing
[13:29] bergfrau Apfelbaum: :-)
[13:30] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): But do the animals have an appreciation for visual aesthetics? I've read that elephants definitely do.
[13:30] herman Bergson: Oh yes....
[13:31] herman Bergson: there is that tropical bird....that builds some kind of gateway for his lady....it uses whatever it finds in the environment for it
[13:31] Max Chatnoir: Oh, right!
[13:31] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): thats cool
[13:31] herman Bergson: and the guy with the nice gateway gets a visit from the ladybird :-)
[13:32] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): like how they build Tori gates in Japan?
[13:32] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): sort of
[13:32] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): those are cool
[13:32] herman Bergson: I don't know the name of that bird....
[13:32] Max Chatnoir: I'm trying to fish it up myself...
[13:32] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:32] Max Chatnoir: bower birds?
[13:33] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): Yes, bower birds
[13:33] herman Bergson: But do animals have aesthetic experiences?
[13:33] Stranger Nightfire: as for elephants I am not sure they should even be considered animals, in the sense of what we usually mean by that
[13:33] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): it is it just instinct?
[13:33] Max Chatnoir: Yes, that is the one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowerbird
[13:33] herman Bergson: cooll Max :-)
[13:34] Max Chatnoir: How should they be classified, do you think, Strange?
[13:34] Max Chatnoir: Stranger.
[13:34] Max Chatnoir: elephants
[13:34] herman Bergson: Elephants are special indeed
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa
[13:35] herman Bergson: They have memories and emotions
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): elephants never forget
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): classic say
[13:36] Stranger Nightfire: I just think that they have more in common with humans than with most other animals
[13:36] herman Bergson: They are social animals, to begin with
[13:37] Max Chatnoir: Think what they might manage if they had opposable thumbs!
[13:37] herman Bergson: then they would be primates
[13:37] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:38] Max Chatnoir: ;-)
[13:38] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): I found info about Koko the gorilla that through her sign language she expressed great joy when surrounded by flowers or when watching a sunset. She had a great appreciation for nature and beauty.
[13:39] Max Chatnoir: My cats love boxes! I think there is something about the symmetry.
[13:39] herman Bergson: So the sense for beauty is not restricted to homo sapiens.... to begin with
[13:39] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa something typical of cats
[13:40] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): speaking of boes i have a nice memory, as a kid i saved a large box my parents had gotten something large in (i dont remember what)
[13:40] herman Bergson: Maybe they love hide and seek, Max :-)
[13:40] Max Chatnoir: No, they like to sit it open boxes!
[13:40] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): they feel safe in a box
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): i laind it under the stairs and crawled inside and i had all my drawing things and items there and just laid in that box under the stairs for hours just drawing
[13:41] Max Chatnoir: Yes, that's probably it, Beertje. They're fenced in on all sides.
[13:41] bergfrau Apfelbaum: my cat also loves cardboard boxes :-), maybe it's because of the warmth and it's like a cave
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): that was really coy i remember
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): cozy
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): a nice childhood memory
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): me in my drawing box
[13:42] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): I'm not sure why having beauty in my life is so important to me, much more important than it is to other people I know. I want to say that it feeds my soul...but that word "soul" is tricky.
[13:42] Max Chatnoir: I totally get that, Beertje! I used to have a pad to sit on under my stairs!
[13:42] Max Chatnoir: It could feed your mind, too, Sookie!
[13:43] herman Bergson: I have some theory about this Sooki....
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa
[13:43] herman Bergson: It is based in our biology....
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): yes
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): for sure
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): must be so
[13:43] herman Bergson: When you deprive an individual of alll stimuli, a well-known way of torturing people.....they go crazy....
[13:44] herman Bergson: no light, no sound ....
[13:44] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): (shudders)
[13:44] Max Chatnoir: Good point.
[13:44] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): torture!
[13:44] herman Bergson: This means that we live by the number of stimuli of our central nervous system....
[13:44] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): I could not handle that for sure
[13:44] Max Chatnoir: We like interesting things to think about.
[13:44] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed
[13:44] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): i need something to do all the time
[13:45] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): its how I work
[13:45] herman Bergson: yes Max. that is what it leads to....we love the stimulation of the CNS
[13:45] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): eactly
[13:45] herman Bergson: and some things do it better than other things....
[13:45] Max Chatnoir: keep those nerves firing!
[13:45] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:45] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): important for sure
[13:45] Max Chatnoir: But not pain.
[13:46] herman Bergson: so, when you see something and you really are in awe...maybe you are looking atart and love the stimuli
[13:46] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): true
[13:47] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and then i put that into my own creations
[13:47] herman Bergson: So, experiencing beauty/art is a biological need of our Central Nervous System.....
[13:47] herman Bergson: to stay healthy for instance
[13:47] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): must be so
[13:47] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): how it works
[13:48] Max Chatnoir: It's like the bower birds saying "Hey look at this"
[13:48] herman Bergson: to be bored in a boring world could drive us crazy
[13:48] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): For me, it definitely has an effect on my mental health.
[13:48] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): true Herman
[13:48] herman Bergson: Sure, Sooki, An ultimate form is therapy through art or music...
[13:49] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): yes
[13:49] herman Bergson: Like the prison example i mentioned...
[13:49] Max Chatnoir: Which is why it is a good thing to offer prisoners.
[13:49] Max Chatnoir: Yes
[13:49] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): helping them change course
[13:50] Max Chatnoir: Yes, refocus their attention!
[13:50] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:51] herman Bergson: OK, homework for you all :-)
[13:51] Max Chatnoir: Oh, dear!
[13:51] herman Bergson: Visit a museum this weekend and recover of this lecture :-)
[13:51] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:51] Max Chatnoir: I am going to a faculty recital this evening!
[13:51] herman Bergson: Perfect!
[13:51] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): oki
[13:52] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:52] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ill try create some more cool stuff then
[13:52] herman Bergson: A+ for you Max :-))
[13:52] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:52] Max Chatnoir: Go for it, Bejiita!
[13:52] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:53] herman Bergson: So, busy weekend for all of you :-)
[13:53] herman Bergson: But first relax :-)
[13:53] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): see which of all projects ill put it in, at moment i work on my crazy and huge Chernobyl project in UE5, i have an idea for a surreal art proect thoug also i might take up again
[13:53] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): I might just go out and experience the beauty of the autumn colors.
[13:53] herman Bergson: I'll see you next Tuesday again
[13:53] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): i want to,, the idea was cool
[13:54] herman Bergson: Ahh YES, Sooki!
[13:54] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): oki ill go back to Burn now and check an event that seemed nice, some DJ
[13:54] Max Chatnoir: Great idea, Sooki!
[13:54] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaaa
[13:54] Stranger Nightfire: I am thinking about the way the concept of beauty is expressed by scientists and mathematicians
[13:54] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): good idea indeed Sooki
[13:54] Max Chatnoir: No color changes here, yet...
[13:54] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): here all is red and orange
[13:54] bergfrau Apfelbaum: Beertje made this wonderful pic
[13:55] Stranger Nightfire: See beauty and the conceptual, Beauty of the logic or the beauty of the problem-solving
[13:55] herman Bergson: Mandel, Stranger! Or was it Mandelbrot?
[13:55] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaaa nice!
[13:55] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): Mandelbrot, the fractal dude?
[13:55] bergfrau Apfelbaum: For me, it is great art, it is all sewn
[13:55] Max Chatnoir: True, Stranger!
[13:55] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaaa cool Bergie
[13:56] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): really nice!
[13:56] herman Bergson: Yes Manderbrot
[13:56] herman Bergson: Thank you all again....
[13:56] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:56] herman Bergson: Class dismissed....but feel free to stay :-)
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