Ziad Kamal - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Ziad Kamal

Estetika: The European Journal of Aesthetics, Nov 25, 2014

The principal focus of the essay is the idea of artistic value, understood as the value of a work... more The principal focus of the essay is the idea of artistic value, understood as the value of a work of art as the work of art it is, and the essay explores the connections, if any, between artistic value and a variety of other values (social, moral, educational, and character-building) in human life. I start with a series of observations about social values and then turn to moral values. Beginning from Goethe's claim that 'music cannot affect morality, nor can the other arts, and it would be wrong to expect them to do so' , I proceed from music through the other arts; I distinguish different conceptions of morality; I highlight what I call a work of art's positive moral value (its power for moral improvement); and I distinguish three kinds of moral improvement, one taking pride of place. My conclusion is that the positive moral value of works of art has been greatly overrated. I then return to the social values of art, looking at the situation from a very different point of view and reaching new conclusions, some of them positive. I end by explaining why my observations and arguments about the positive moral value of a work of art in no way diminishes the importance of art in human life, the true end of art having an importance in human life not guaranteed by morality. I It is possible to imagine a human world without art, even a world as scientifically and technologically advanced as our own. 1 However, if art is understood in a wide sense, this claim might well be denied. For a generous understanding of art will include, in the first place, artefacts-pots, trays, pieces of furniture, rugs, clothes, for example-the appearance of which is not fully determined by the nature of the material of which they are formed and by their suitability to perform their intended function but possess in addition aspects the maker has imposed on them to yield a greater perceptual appeal or emotional satisfaction than otherwise they would have had. And it will include, secondly, the telling of stories in which the sounds and rhythms of the language are intended to capture the listeners' attention, encourage the imagination, and impress the contents of the story on the memory. But if art embraces as much as this, then art, in some form or forms, has existed, perhaps only in a primitive or rudimentary way, perhaps only in various enhancements of everyday life (as with bodily adornments), and perhaps only in the service of a more important aspect of the culture (as handmaidens to religion, in religious ceremonies, for example), in every society, culture, or civilization of which we have record. However, this does not Morality, Society, and the Love of Art

Estetika: The European Journal of Aesthetics, Nov 25, 2014

The principal focus of the essay is the idea of artistic value, understood as the value of a work... more The principal focus of the essay is the idea of artistic value, understood as the value of a work of art as the work of art it is, and the essay explores the connections, if any, between artistic value and a variety of other values (social, moral, educational, and character-building) in human life. I start with a series of observations about social values and then turn to moral values. Beginning from Goethe's claim that 'music cannot affect morality, nor can the other arts, and it would be wrong to expect them to do so' , I proceed from music through the other arts; I distinguish different conceptions of morality; I highlight what I call a work of art's positive moral value (its power for moral improvement); and I distinguish three kinds of moral improvement, one taking pride of place. My conclusion is that the positive moral value of works of art has been greatly overrated. I then return to the social values of art, looking at the situation from a very different point of view and reaching new conclusions, some of them positive. I end by explaining why my observations and arguments about the positive moral value of a work of art in no way diminishes the importance of art in human life, the true end of art having an importance in human life not guaranteed by morality. I It is possible to imagine a human world without art, even a world as scientifically and technologically advanced as our own. 1 However, if art is understood in a wide sense, this claim might well be denied. For a generous understanding of art will include, in the first place, artefacts-pots, trays, pieces of furniture, rugs, clothes, for example-the appearance of which is not fully determined by the nature of the material of which they are formed and by their suitability to perform their intended function but possess in addition aspects the maker has imposed on them to yield a greater perceptual appeal or emotional satisfaction than otherwise they would have had. And it will include, secondly, the telling of stories in which the sounds and rhythms of the language are intended to capture the listeners' attention, encourage the imagination, and impress the contents of the story on the memory. But if art embraces as much as this, then art, in some form or forms, has existed, perhaps only in a primitive or rudimentary way, perhaps only in various enhancements of everyday life (as with bodily adornments), and perhaps only in the service of a more important aspect of the culture (as handmaidens to religion, in religious ceremonies, for example), in every society, culture, or civilization of which we have record. However, this does not Morality, Society, and the Love of Art