"Art as a Substitute for People".

A cura di Stefano Marino (Università di Bologna).
In collaborazione con il Centro di Ricerca Internazionale "Culture Fashion Communication" (CFC).

Art is a peculiar institution. It consumes a huge amount of our attention. One of the oldest questions about it is whether it deserves this attention. Plato infamously argues that it doesn't; in fact, it is dangerous. I argue that, if we look at what Plato says about beauty, we can find an answer to his challenge. Art at its best has the same sort of value as people. It is the type of thing that yields a certain sort of understanding--it has what I call noetic value. This is a very important kind of value, the type of value that gives a life that engages with it a certain sort of meaning. Art has this value without some of the dangers that come along with engaging with people. So art can be a safer route to engagement with noetic value, which is why it deserves so much of our attention.