The Promethean Revolt And The Cosmic Meaning of Art
Why aesthetic values are foundational
Arts and crafts class is often a favourite of children in public school or in summer camp. I remember finger painting and gluing macaroni to paper plates when I was young. My works were hung on my parents’ refrigerator instead of in an art gallery, of course, but at least the exercise showed me what it’s like to be creative.
That meme, “arts and crafts,” has a long history going back to ancient Greece. Crafts were more practical or low brow, while arts in the sense of liberal arts were loftier pursuits for the upper class. A similar distinction appears in the clash between blue-collar and white-collar work, and in the snobbish revulsion that the rich have against getting their hands dirty.
But from a philosophical perspective, techne, Technik, crafts, technology, and fine art are on the same continuum. We reshape and organize our environment for different purposes. We build shelters to protect ourselves from the elements, and we develop technologies to make civilized life safer and more efficient. We create art to prettify our shelters or to express religious faith or to explore our unconscious side.
