[MD] Defining Art (was Churning Point)

[Platt Holden]

SA:

Yes, I think an ideal has a lot to do with art, the ideal of perfection. Again 
from Santayana:

"Beauty is the clearest manifestation of perfection and the best evidence of 
its possibility. If perfection is, as it should be, the ultimate justification 
of being, we may understand the ground of the moral dignity of beauty."

Platt

>      The only part in the definition that you gave
> that might pull art out of being accepted as taking
> LSD or peyote would be the clause in the definition as
> here stated:  "vivid faith in the ideal"  I don't see
> how the other statements would lead you out of that. 
> I say this clause because how beauty can be felt and
> is indescribable does not take away feeling while on
> LSD or something.  Yet, "vivid faith in the ideal"
> could be defined more to exclude using something to
> have one feel beauty.  Lame Deer had some books
> written about his life and teachings.  He was a Lakota
> I believe.  I know he was Sioux, but Sioux is a very
> general label.  Anyways he lived as late as the 1970's
> maybe, and his story is ripe with taking peyote and
> other drugs, until he realized the teachings of his
> people - the old way.  He said to know this old way
> was to know it as a human being, not to use something
> else to know it.  Yet, to know this old way was to
> know it by just living as we are already.  We are
> ideally born.  Sure we have to eat food, drink water,
> paint but his point and I'm sure many other people
> have this point, which is being human needs no extra
> stimuli to live and be wise as the old ones.
> 
> SA