Luc: I'd have to consult Edelman. His (?) concepts are new to me.
Geoff
----- Original Message -----
From: "Luc Delannoy" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 6:59 PM
Subject: Re: Valuing art
Geoff wrote: "Deciding unconsciously: some others may have trouble
grasping the combination of decision and
unconsciousness. Might you accept that "some artists work with particular
visual areas" avoiding the issue of unconscious decision making?"
Yes...well... I don't know ! I'd replace "unconsciously" with
"not-consciously" as in "non-awareness". And also let me add: There is an
intuitive-not-yet-conscious way, and a deliberate conscious way. It is a
tricky subject; it has to do with attention, the neural corraletes of
attention.
Geoff asked: "And, having selected some aspect of the brain the artist
wishes to impact, do most/all people value that impact (given that, beyond
pathology, our brains work in similar ways - though often coming to
different conclusions regarding values - in art)?"
Most people ? I would say then that the artist has come up with a
masterpiece.
What the artist sees/feels is not necessarily what the pubic sees/feels. I
always insisted on having a theory of perception, mine is based on
indirect realism. Then, if you (as I do) accept the existence of qualia,
and accept that qualia are not negotiable, then there will always be what
I would call a communication deficit between an artist and the public.
Actually between any two people. This is where trust and empathy come in,
but also the deficit opens a space that allows for subjective
interpretation to blossom.
Based on the theory of neural darwinism (see Edelman) we all have
different brains. Some structural and functional invariants (universals)
could explain similar tastes in different populations. My examples of Don
Giovanni and Vermeer. Those universals do not cancel the
not-negotiable-qualia - I believe.
Geoff asked: "Are there instances in which an artist intends to impact a
particular brain area but fails? How would he/she know? Would the viewer
know?"
Yes --see neural darwinism. I would also say that there is no way to know
what the exact motives of an artist are when he paints or writes music.
Actually it is a problem in music conservatories and music schools when a
professor has to "judge" if the students put enough emotions in their
compositions (it boils down to technical issues).
Hope this helps, even if those are short answers.
Luc
