by Kurt Knecht | Aug 16, 2011 | Uncategorized
An idea that is particularly important to Plato in the Republic is censorship. One thing he is particularly concerned about is the stories that are told to children. He points out that we have a habit of telling children “stories which, though not wholly destitute of...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 15, 2011 | Uncategorized
A Book of Burlesques by H.L. Menckenpublished in 1916 II.—FROM THE PROGRAMME OF A CONCERT II.—From The Programme of a Concert [27] “Ruhm und Ewigkeit” (Fame and Eternity), a symphonic poem in B flat minor, Opus 48, by Johann Sigismund Timotheus Albert...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 15, 2011 | Uncategorized
I have had a delightful time interacting with people far and near when I began posting about expressivist theory that I have decided to make a new beginning. Amongst other things, I’m going to use this forum to clarify my own ideas about aesthetics in a more...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 14, 2011 | Uncategorized
On a phrase I’m tired of hearing “I’m genetically wired to do X” Increasingly, I am hearing this as an explanation for behavior on news programs. A reporter asks an expert, why is this happening. The expert says, “Well, we’re genetically wired to do this.” So far,...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 12, 2011 | Uncategorized
Thanks so much for the responses. I received some insightful questions from Ben Koch, Brian Linell, and Jason Mendelssohn on starting to tackle the two terms theory of expressivism. Ben immediately pointed out one of the problem areas. If we assume the third term of...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 11, 2011 | aesthetics, expressivist theory, Santayana, Uncategorized
There are few thinkers today that argue that art doesn’t convey emotional impact of some sort. Much of the formal writing concerning expressivist theories of art since Santayana have assumed what is commonly called the “two terms theory”. That is, for art to happen,...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 10, 2011 | aethetics, Uncategorized, Wolterstorff
The expressivist theory of art runs into immediate problems in the interpretive phase. If we say that Romeo and Juliet is “sad” (a poor descriptor, I know), what do we mean? Do we mean that Shakespeare was sad when he wrote it, and some of his sadness got into the...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 9, 2011 | art, Goya, meaning, subjective/objective, Uncategorized, William Blake
In response to the ever insightful commentary of my good friend Robert Platte on this page, I have decided to open the can of worms that is the expressive theory of art. We have recently rekindled a 20 year dialogue on the subjective/objective nature of the experience...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 8, 2011 | art, culture, epistemology, Martin Buber, music, Uncategorized
In the not too distant past, I heard a common argument from a musicologist. He argued that “art was an expression of culture”. The underlying pedagogical theory behind this argument is that in order to understand the specific art object under discussion, it is...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 5, 2011 | Uncategorized
At the suggestion of my friend Rebecca Baker, I’ve touched the surface of some of the New Testament issues concerning poverty and the government. This is all I have time for right now, but if you make comments, I’ll try to get to them.Approaching the...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 4, 2011 | Uncategorized
Normally, I don’t like to do political commentary here. It’s not my area of interest or study. I usually use my creative time to write music and my scholarly time to study aesthetics, and in particular religious aesthetics. However, I’ve been drawn back in because of...
by Kurt Knecht | Aug 2, 2011 | Uncategorized
Triptique9:00 pm – Arrive in the French Quarter and park somewhere on Canal St. Head over toward Bourbon St.9:05 pm – Walk down Bourbon St. and remember how wonderfully disgusting it is. A giant electric cross that says, “Jesus Saves” is in the street between a strip...
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