Korsmeyer, pp 196-208; pp 213-222. Murdoch, Nussbaum, and Feagin.

The Sovereignty of Good Over Other Concepts

In this passage Murdoch addresses and discusses how we as humans are connected to the use of metaphor. Murdoch defines a metaphor as fundamental forms of our awareness of our condition: metaphors of space, metaphors of movement, metaphors of vision. As humans our artwork is influenced by the world around us and our own goals and aspirations. I found it interesting and agree with Murdoch when she said "...human beings are naturally selfish seems true on the evidence, whenever and wherever we look at them." We humans are exactly that. Humans are selfish, materialisic creatures that constantly judge one another. Murdoch believes it is more about the human who observes the art, rather the the actual piece of art.


Form and Content, Philosophy and Literature

In this passage Nussbaum discusses Literature and how it can be used to examine human emotions. How a person selects the words, forms, structure, and organization in their writing says alot about the person themselves. Liturature and Philosophy are both intregal parts of "the statement of truth." Writers write thier emotions or talk about an issue through his words, an artist can do the same thing through their meduims. Writers give the world knowledge that isn't capable through art. Which I don't agree with, Art itself maybe cannot give "knowledge" in the sense of facts and decimals, but it can give someone knowledge of emotion and experience.


Paintings and Their Places

In this passage Feagin discusses some of what Nussbaum touched on that art was not created to give "knowledge" to people. However it does educate. Like I said before, Art gives knowledge of emotion and experience. If you view a portrait of a man who has now died, you can read the wrinkles on his face, examine his eyes, and look at his clothes and try to grasp the experience of how this man lived and what he was like, even though you could never know exactly without meeting him face to face. But instead of missing out all together art allows us to experience things that are no longer there. Or perhaps a landscape of the Ireland hills, If someone can never have the pleasure of actually seeing them first hand, a painting of a landscape of this can help them understand and appreciate it.

Why do we as humans judge? art, people, or experiences?