GWS: Do the arts and literature really matter?

Art outside of GRAPHIC DESIGN and ADVERTISING is mostly a wasted effort these days--the modern of music is trash, of tv is trash, of movies is trash, of novels is trash, of paintings and sculpture is trash (mass-produced or interesting-at-first-but-non-influential).

Art as a means to elevate the human spirit is great, but not necessary, and it first requires a human to have a spirit--I personally love wandering through art museums listening to the common folk ignorantly discuss various pieces, trying to or claiming to "get it" instead of simply allowing it to affect them, especially when the architecture of the museum itself is ignored as a significant work by these clods (Getty Center is a good example). I also love how useful appreciated pieces are when bought and sold like livestock at auction houses as possessions for the less common people who still have no souls.

However, without product logos and creative methods of differentiating them to the dumb public, our capitalist economy, civilized society essentially, would collapse overnight.

Edit: There really is no art--there is only business. When you buy art, you're only getting the byproduct of the artist's energy, which might be inspirational in the piece, but there's underlying misery b/c nearly every artist, if lucky enough to be noticed, is exploited by the dealer or producer just for the sake of money. Watch "Art of Failure" (been on HBO recently).

It matters, but only if the art and literature is good and has meaning.

Could you imagine a world without "The Brave New World" or without George Orwell's"1984". Or what would state health safety be without "The Jungle"?

Then there is "Frankenstein". A book that has haunted us morally since it was written about how science can be dangerous when miss used. Forcing us to question the ethic's of what we invent.

Then there are the great works of art from the Renaissance and how they enriched our lives and millions upon millions of other lives throughout the last few centuries.

Humanity is capable of almost anything. Music, art and literature are often the source of humanities greatest resource. Inspiration.

There is no actual necessity for the arts and literature beyond what they contribute to the economy (and they actually contribute quite a lot, according to the latest stats I've read). Besides that, some people are at their best when they create these things, so they shouldn't be denied the ability to do it, if that's what you're suggesting (which I doubt).

But in the grand scheme of things, no, they don't matter to present generations. If the world was free of art and literature, I'd be perfectly content with my newspaper and my candid photographs. I always convey my opinions through transactional writing. Assuming all essential services were covered, I'd much rather see my tax dollars going toward sports.

Here's the truth: I hate art. I really, truly hate it.

I disagree so hardcore with this, it's not even funny.

I could get into a huge, long diatribe here addressing every last bullet point of your wrongness, but I've got jet lag and I'm not feeling up to task, so instead I'll just ask you a few questions:

* Do you have a favorite color? Do you have preferences for certain colors over others?

* Have you ever seen a movie?

* Have you ever been to a church, synagogue, temple, or mosque?

* Do you only visit websites that are built with nothing more than bare bones basic HTML?

* Did we learn anything about prehistoric man from ancient cave paintings, or are they useless?

* When you drew your mommy or daddy a picture as a child, do you think it meant nothing to them?

Whether you like it or not, you are not this systematic, calculating creature ruled only by the quantitative lobe of your brain. You may think that art only exists "just because", but without it, where do you get the imagination or creative spark to explore new technologies? Do you honestly think that there's a more effective way of teaching children than by telling them a story? Does a city skyline made up of gray skyscrapers all the same size and shape strike you the same as a skyline with variations of patterns, colors, and materials?

Science and technology may help you survive, but art and literature ensure that you will live.

Oh, and doctors would still be prescribing leech treatments and consulting astrological charts if a man by the name of da Vinci didn't bother to study cadavers in the sixteenth century.

So, on behalf of the artistic community, you're welcome.

Again.

Art and literature matter in several ways. Their function is transmitting thoughts, opinions, and feelings about the world we live in - expressed in unique ways that a diode or capacitor cannot do. So the real question you ask is as follows:

Do we need thoughts, opinions, and feelings to be reproduced? I notice in your question that you omit television and music, two other dominant art mediums that still fit within the broader category of 'art'. Television is actually a derivative branch of literature; so I'll include these in your question as well.

The answer is clear: We need technology and science as a means of improving species survivability and viability. But can you live without a computer, without the wheel? Yes. In a crippled and painful way, but yes, you could survive. Same with the arts. We need them for an outlet of meaning and for the sake of enjoyability rather than survivability. We could live without them. A bland and meaningless world, but livable nonetheless.

Arts and literature are an expression of a person's artistic and creative talents. For some it's the only way they can express their emotions and ideas via the canvas or written word. I would love to have the talent to paints works of art. I write short stories as I use my imagination to create work that I couldn't communicate otherwise. Some literature has real life events or people interwoven in their works.

Disagree.

The arts balance the sciences. One employs the left brain, the other employs the right brain.

A world devoid of art, music and literature would be quite dry and analytical. Did you know that music and mathematics are so strongly linked that when combined they have the power to create new neural pathways in the brain?

Anthropological studies prove the necessity of art...from early cave drawings to patterns on pottery. Every culture in the world from prehistoric times has some expression of art.

Wow. Freeze & rewind. Why is art important??? Art is a means of communication that goes beyond words and facts. It can be a release of expression, imagination and cultural understanding. Children with mental disabilities have been known to respond to art in an amazing way and is said to strengthen critical thinking abilities.

Some people consider math and science a form of art. I'd hate to live in a word of monotone because musical pitches are art. Anything expressive is a form of art and without it all you're left with is a boring, dull society.

I'm sorry you're not moved by Chopin, Shakespeare, V Van Gogh or even 'Schindler's List' but art and literature *does* matter.

You should watch Equilibrium too. Great movie - they eliminate all emotions and anything emotionally expressive from the world in hopes to control the public and stop wars. (even colourful clothes as it's a form of expression)

Nevermind, go back to studying your sciences - make sure to just study theories and no examining diagrams such as: http://science.kukuchew.com/wp-content/uploads/200... because that was construed by Da Vinci (the famous artist who considered science and art to go together) as illustrations are artistic.

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."

-Albert Einstein

Let's think here, how much have we learned from art. We can track history through art works, we can study cultures through their art works. Who had one of the most definitive ideas of human anatomy well before the world of medicine did--an artist, Davinci. The same can be said of literature. Science and technology may move the world along but art, music and literature give it beauty and meaning.

Art is a very important aspect of society. I understand what you're saying about the importance of the sciences, but those fields lack self-expression. Without art, we'd have no unique identity and our individual lives would have no value.

BTW: My definition of "art" is basically any form of self-expression with or without influence of others.

Science requires rules, conformity and acceptance by peers.