The Laws of Biology Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Yes, on the one hand, I see the advantages and benefits of art that inspires people to be better and do better. But, on the other hand, I worry about art that makes people think they can be better than they actually are capable of being. "Delusion" is the term that is applied sometimes to a belief that is believed and beloved but is unrealistic and impossible to actualize. I enjoy reading and watching fiction with strong heroes and heroines who are 100% ethical all the time. Yet, I also enjoy reading well-researched, well-documented biographies of real people. Reading such biographies has led me to think that no one in real life is 100% ethical all the time like the strong heroes and heroines in movies and novels. So, though we enjoy fiction of heroes and heroines, aren't we being misled and fooled by it? If I am going to be a farmer, don't I need to have accurate and realistic information about what the soil can produce, not idealistic conceptions? Wouldn't the same apply in the field of human living? Don't we need accurate and realistic information about ourselves and other human beings, not idealistic conceptions? Am I missing something in my analysis of this matter? Is there something to be gained by maintaining idealistic conceptions, even if few or none ever actualize them in reality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Morris Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Anyone can and should be 100% ethical all the time, even if few are. It is vitally necessary to have an ideal for inspiration and guidance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Laws of Biology Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 2 minutes ago, Doug Morris said: Anyone can and should be 100% ethical all the time, even if few are. It is vitally necessary to have an ideal for inspiration and guidance. Consider the case of those who uphold Altruism as a philosophy and way of life. This is their idealistic conception. We can observe this among both Socialists and Religionists. And I think we can observe that some of them delude themselves into thinking that their actions, which are motivated by selfish desires, are motivated by altruistic desires. They delude themselves into thinking that just because they are committed to the ideal of Altruism in their minds and in their words, all their actions are altruistic in nature. They imagine themselves to be heroes and saints of Socialism or of their chosen religion. So, they fool themselves and they fool others. But this accomplishes nothing good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boydstun Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 (edited) Why can’t art have value to one even if it is not art about life at all, such as some Rothko? I'm sure art speaking life as it is can have real value to some because that's pretty much the way my art is, and some have told me how important it is to them---such as Each Reach or That It Had Been. Edited January 23, 2022 by Boydstun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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