Surrealism

Logic may not always equate serenity.

I took a trip to the Dalí Museum recently, and I was struck by something.

I took the audio tour, in which you are given some very terrible-yet-durable headphones, and an iPod Touch in a fancy case pre-loaded with a very nice app to walk you through the museum’s exhibits. At some point, the narrator attempted to explain Dalí’s concept of Surrealism as the following:

The surrealist rejected logic, the key value of those responsible for the war, instead, they challenged that value by exploring the unconscious, irrational world of dreams.

I found this fascinating. In our society, most of us have placed an incredible value on rational thought. We consider such to be necessary for survival. Either in religion, politics, or elsewhere, rationality is considered of the utmost importance. We must always choose the most rational religion, and if none seem rational, then we must choose none. We must chose the most rational political process. We must choose the most rational lunch for our goals.

I found it amazing, especially for the time period, that there was such a cultural movement against this thought process. It’s very hard for me to imagine a world in which there are like-minded individuals who say “rationality is bad”.

I’ve been one of those who has tried to only make the “logical” choices in life. But now, in my old age of 23, I find that to be less and less valuable.

Maybe the Vulcans didn’t have it all right.