Download
1 / 62
630 likes | 844 Views
Definitions and Defining Art. Why do we need definitions?. We want our beliefs to be true. Before we can know that our beliefs are true, though, we must first understand what we believe. Lots of the things we think we believe are so vague it’s not even clear what we think.
E N D
Why do we need definitions? • We want our beliefs to be true. Before we can know that our beliefs are true, though, we must first understand what we believe. • Lots of the things we think we believe are so vague it’s not even clear what we think. • Definitions help us understand what we’re thinking or talking about.
Do you agree? • Obama is too liberal. • Bush is an idiot. • A high-protein diet is good for you. • Being a lawyer is a good career. • Public education in California is on the decline. • LeBron is better than Kobe.
Don’t rush to judgment People argue over statements like these, but they’re wasting their time. Do you know what a “liberal” is? If you don’t, how could you know whether Obama is one or not? What does “good for you” or “good career” mean? Or what makes a basketball player “better” than another? If we can’t understand what we’re saying, we can’t tell if it’s true or false. And if you can’t explain what you mean, how do you know if it’s true or not? So, if we care about the truth of an issue, we should be clear about it. Clarity is very important in philosophy, where issues are often abstract.
Being clear Two ways of making an issue clear are: • Replace the entire sentence with another that is not vague. • Use a definition to make a specific word or phrase precise.
Replace vagueness with precision Here are examples of entirely rewriting a few of the sentences above: • Bush’s SAT scores were 566 verbal and 640 math, and he had a 2.3 college GPA. • The starting income of a lawyer at a major firm in L.A. or N.Y. is $165,000 a year. • LeBron has a higher scoring average than Kobe.
Definition, defined A definition is an explanation or stipulation of how you are using a word or phrase. • By ‘decline’ I mean ‘standardized test scores in California schools have decreased by more than 30% over the past 30 years.’ • I define ‘immoral’ as anything that violates the teachings of the Catholic Church. • Hallucinationsare distortions or exaggerations of perception in any of the senses.
Definitions aren’t claims Definitions are not true or false. Definitions explain what we’re referring to. • E.g., a textbook says evolution is a change in the genetic structure of a population, or the appearance of a new species through such change. • Before you can decide whether evolution happened or not, you must know what you’re deciding about, and that is what definitions do. • So before arguing an issue, we should define terms that are unclear. Without definitions, we don’t know whatwe’re for or against.
What makes a definition good A good definition is • clear (i.e., more precise than the word being defined) and • interchangeable with the word being defined (i.e., it’d be correct to use your definition in place of the original word: the necessary and sufficient conditions for using that word). • So “a sister is a female sibling” is a good definition.
Use counter-examples to test The key to making sure a definition is good is to look for counter-examples: cases where the definition does or does not apply, to make sure it’s not too broad (not sufficient) or too narrow (not necessary). • For example, defining a cat as ‘a furry animal kept as a pet’ would be too broad, since that definition includes dogs and guinea pigs. • ‘A bird is an animal that flies’ is too narrow and too broad, since some birds don’t fly (penguins, kiwis, emus), and some flying animals aren’t birds (bats, insects).
Practice Evaluating Definitions • By ‘murderer’, I mean a human who has killed another human. • A ‘gullible’ person is a person who can be fooled. • A ‘human being’ is an organism that can survive outside its mother’s uterus. • ‘Homosexual’ means a man who is primarily attracted to other men.
More definition practice • ‘Terrorism’ is defined as premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. • A ‘space station’ is a platform or construct in orbit around the earth.
Defining faith • Faith is a belief you are absolutely certain of. • Faith is belief without facts or physical evidence. • Faith is a conviction of the mind with adequate evidence that is expressed in conduct. • Faith is the support of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen.
Definition practice • ‘Beautiful’ means enjoyable for the speaker to see or hear. • A ‘work of art’ is a visual or auditory design purposely created for public examination.
Review: What makes a definition good A good definition is • clear (i.e., more precise than the word being defined) and • interchangeable with the word being defined (i.e., it’d be correct to use your definition in place of the original word: the necessary and sufficient conditions for using that word). • So “a sister is a female sibling” is a good definition.
Defining art as mimesis • A tradition from Plato to Batteux defines art as an imitation or representation of the world. On this mimetic definition, art shows us reality. • But lots of art is abstract (music, decoration), and lots of representations of the world are not art (like an ID photo). • So defining art as representation of the world won’t work. It’s both too narrow and too broad. • Nor does defining art as beauty seem to be necessary:
Five more ways of defining art • Formalism (Kant, 1790; Clive Bell, 1914) • Expression theory/idealism (Robin Collingwood, 1938) • Institutional Theory (George Dickie, 1963) • Family Resemblance (Morris Weitz, 1956) • Historical (Jerrold Levinson, 1979)
Formalism • Art = objects that combine lines, shapes, colors, spaces, sounds, or words in an order that creates aesthetic sensation.
Objections to the formalist definition • Art = objects that combine lines, shapes, colors, spaces, sounds, or words in an order that creates aesthetic sensation. Problems: • Too vague • Circular: “aesthetic sensation” is the same as “art” • Counter-examples: • logos, ads, nature (too broad)
Expressivism (Idealism) • Art = work that communicates an artist’s idea or emotion via something definite or tangible.
The expression theory fits many modern works of art. It also includes abstract art, readymades, and forms like music, dance, and literature.
Problems with expressivism • Art = work that communicates an artist’s idea or emotion via something definite or tangible. • How do we know the feeling or idea? • Artists could create without feeling, for themselves, or for money. • Makes art non-physical • Counter-examples: • realistic portraits, practical artifacts (craft), iconography (too narrow) • Greeting cards, smiles (too broad)
Institutional Theory • A work of art = an artifact that has been worked on and is recognized as art by the art-world (art collectors, art critics, museum curators, artists).
Problems for the institutional theory • A work of art = an artifact that has been worked on and is recognized as art by the art-world (art collectors, art critics, museum curators, artists). • Doesn’t explain the reasons why the art-world members recognize some works as art in the first place • No such thing as unrecognized art (Alfred Wallis)
